A Taste of Paradise
by blakes8th
Summary: Co-incidence, chance or fate, when you bump into a familiar face on holiday, the rules are different and sometimes you just have to seize the moment. Mature story for mature readers.
1. Chapter 1

A Taste of Paradise

Disclaimer; New tricks belongs to the BBC. I've just snuck in and let it out of it's cage, Run! Old Dogs, Run!

Rated M for adult content. Adult situations and gratuitous fluffiness beyond this point. This story is promising to be as hot as my car bonnet this last week.

Pairing: You should know by now, I specialise in Sandra/Strickland. Go on, give it a try ;-D

This came to me while I was eating a bounty at work. I blame it on sunstroke.

/

'This is what it's all about.'

That was the thought running through Sandra's mind as she walked through the clear blue surf, her bare feet sinking into the white sand, the sun warmed her back and the soft breeze rustled the fronds of the palm trees. The soft swooshing of the sea as it broke over the white rocks created the perfect musical background for this postcard moment.

She had only stepped off the plane an hour before, but after checking into her hotel, which had turned out to be fairly basic, she had instantly changed into the outfit she had bought specially for this holiday, a light summer dress, white with red poppies with an elasticated bodice and spaghetti straps, and the large white sun hat, the outfit topped off by the red sandles she was now carrying. She looked up at the luxury apartments lined up looking out over the beach, she had originally planned to splash out and spoil herself by booking herself into one of those, but she had left it too late and the only room she could get was at the quite frankly out-dated royale hotel. She wasn't too bothered, yes the balcony with hot tub would have been nice, and the luxury en-suite bathroom with jacuzzi bath would'nt have been bad, not to mention the air conditioned living space with open plan kitchenette, mezzanine bedroom with king size bed and forty inch flat screen television with satelite receiver. She actually would have been happy just to have the direct access to the beach.

She had picked up the brochure for this little known carribean island in the station canteen. One of the clerical admin assistants had honeymooned here and had told everybody how incredible it was. Pricey though, but Sandra hadn't had a proper holiday since her Italian jaunt, the first year she had joined UCOS so she had decided to spoil herself.

She had nearly not made this one. Due to an admin error, the Commissioner had tried to cancel her week off as it had collided with the second week of DAC Robert Strickland's annual two week holiday, and the Commissioner hadn't wanted UCOS to be left without a serving officer. It had been Robert who had saved her holiday by pointing out to the Commissioner that it didn't matter which two weeks he took, there would always be some-one in one of his departments away at the same time, and that to penalise Sandra because she happens to single handedly run the smallest, yet most productive unit under his command was unfair and that the other members of the UCOS team had managed to reach retirement age without the need of a chaperone and were completely capable of looking after themselves for seven days.

So she had managed to get away from it all for a whole week, she could relax, enjoy the food and drink, and maybe find a little holiday romance. She bent down and picked up a beautiful conicle shell which was just lying on the sand. She jumped slightly as a small pair of claws and eyes looked back at her, she laughed.

"Sorry, I didn't know anyone was at home." She told the little hermit crab as it sat in her hand, she set it down in the surf and watched as it ran back into the sea, to be carried away by a wave. She looked around the beach, it was really very peaceful, a few couples dotted around, lying on towels and loungers, some swimming in the sea. Some families, creating sandcastle monuments and searching amongst the rocks for shells. Dotted about were the occasional single sunbather, enjoying the peace and quiet. Sandra had checked out a few of the male ones, and in turn had been checked out by them. There were a few potentials but none had really caught her eye as yet.

Until now. She slowed slightly as she approached a man lying on a sun bed at the foot of the stairs from one of the appartments. He was lying in the shade of a coconut palm, his chest was bare, muscled and trim with a light covering of hair. His stomach was flat, and toned. He was wearing a worn pair of cargo shorts, his bare legs were also finely muscled, with the same fine hairs. She looked at his feet, she hated manky feet, and so many men let themselves down in that department. Not this guy though, his feet were perfect. Sandra smiled, she couldn't see his face, it was hidden under a castaway style straw hat, but if it was as good as the rest of him, she would have to try to strike up a conversation some time during the next few days.

She walked past the sunbather, trying to be as relaxed as possible, she stopped to pick up another shell, checking this time to make sure there was no creature in residence.

"You should come down here first thing, as the tide starts to go out you can find hundreds of different types of shells." The male voice behind her made her freeze. 'Surely not!' She thought to herself 'of all the places in the world.' She turned slowly, sure enough, the face attached to the eye candy body was that of her boss. He looked equally surprised as she turned to face him. "Sandra?"

"Hi, I suppose you picked up one of Caroline's brochures as well." She smiled shyly.

"Yes, It looked too good to pass up. I havn't been away since my divorce, so I decided to treat myself." He sat up. "Are you staying here?" He indecated the apartments behind him.

"No, I was too late, they were all booked up. I'm in the Royale up the road. I think the name's ironic." She grinned. "Are you here?"

"This one's mine. I thought 'what the hell' I've nothing else to spend my money on. It's not like I have a string of women queing up to help me spend it." He laughed softly. He sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the lounger. He couldn't believe she was here in front of him, he decided to take the bull by the horns. "Have you eaten yet?" He enquired.

"No, I checked in then came out for a walk, I couldn't resist the beach." She answered, at that moment her stomach decided to gurgle in protest. Robert stood and stretched.

"Let me grab a shirt and some shoes, then will you allow me to introduce you to the most amazing barbeque grill I have ever encoutered. They do this incredible rack of ribs, and the beer is cold." He smiled shyly. He had asked her out for dinner before, but she had always turned him down, except for the few pub lunches he had taken her for when he had first arrived at UCOS. So much had happened since then, so much water under the bridge. She smiled, they were thousands of miles away, on a paradise island, if she couldn't let her hair down now, when could she.

"I'd really like that. Thank you." She gave him a dazzling smile. He looked slightly startled.

"Really! I mean.. Well..." He started to stutter, he had never imagined that she would say yes, she never had before. "Umm... Come on up, I won't be a moment." He started up the stairs, she followed behind, she hadn't seen him thrown like that since her mother had embarrassed her by suggesting they looked good together. He had been rendered speechless then, and had almost sprinted from the office. It had been quite cute really, his flustered escape from her mother, she knew how he had felt, she had felt the urge to run from her mother on many occassions.

He slid the large glass patio door open and indecated that she should go in first. As she stepped into the apartment she was greeted by a swirl of cool air.

"Oh that is gorgeous." She stopped, taking off her hat letting the cooled air from the ceiling fan fall across her face. Robert gulped as he watched, her blonde hair moving softly in the breeze, the floaty summer dress picking out her curves. He was sure that right now she had absolutely no idea what she was doing to him, of course, she could be wearing a potato sack and he'd still find her beautiful, she wouldn't notice his discomfort though, she never did. He put his hat on the table and ran his hands through his hair. He had hoped to maybe find a little companionship on this holiday, to forget all his responsibillities and stress, to spend a few weeks in charming company, to leave behind his loneliness, just for a while. But he'd been here for a week, and although he'd rejected a couple of tempting proposals, he just hadn't found what he needed.

Of course, he knew what he wanted. He wanted Sandra, but he knew that would never happen. She just didn't see him. He was a ghost to her, an annoyance, some-one who periodically got in her way and made her life a little bit more difficult. He had watched her with her boys, had seen her and Gerry flirting. Gerry Standing, cheeky chappie, ladies man, confident, warm, charming, likable - no, lovable. Everything he wasn't basically. She was obviously more into the Gerry type, what chance did he stand with a woman as incredible as her.

This was to be his escape, two weeks of being somebody else. Yet here she was, sent across the ocean to torment him. And even then he couldn't help himself, he had begged to take her out, like the pathetic sop that he was. He wandered up to the sleeping area, an open balconied area above the kitchen and bathroom. He stripped out of the old shorts and reached for his more decent ones, unaware that he was giving Sandra a full show of his bare behind. She gulped as she watched, unable to avert her eyes. 'Who'd have thought he was hiding that under those proper suits' she thought

finally managing to look away. She waited a few minutes until he came back down the stairs, wearing a pair of dark blue cargo shorts and a pale blue polo shirt. He pulled on a pair of running trainers and picked up his wallet.

"Oh God, I didn't bring any money with me!" Sandra exclaimed. "I left it in my room." He smiled warmly.

"Tonights my treat. If you insist, you can buy later in the week." He told her. 'Well at least I'll get one more dinner with her' he thought to himself.

"That's a date then." Sandra smiled, the prospect of at least one other evening with him filling her with an unexpected feeling of excitement.

"Then allow me." He smiled and offered her his arm, she linked her arm through his and they wandered out into the carribean sun.

/

It was early evening by the time they returned from the grill. Sandra had never felt so full, he had been right, the ribs had been to die for, and the beer had been ice cold. She had found herself really enjoying his company, the stiff in the suit had vanished and had been replaced by a funny and charming man, she had found herself being drawn towards him, he had had a shyness about him that she had found endearing and extremely appealing. The confident, professional officer she knew from London had gone completely, here he was quiet, and kind, even his voice was softer, and his face seemed less severe, she had spent the afternoon with the man which she had only glimpsed a handful of times since they had started to work together five or so years before. She had enjoyed it.

They were walking together along the beach towards the hotel she had checked into earlier in the afternoon, as they approached she frowned at the pool area, she had walked through earlier as she had headed to the beach, and one of the attendants had been really quite pushy, she had had to tell him where to go in no uncertain terms, unfortunately, this man seemed to think that any phrase ending in off constituted as a 'maybe later'. She flinched as he swaggered towards her. He wasn't one of the local workers, he was european, maybe spanish or portugese, his accent was heavy, yeah he was goog looking, if you liked the smarmy Ronaldo type, she didn't.

"My beautiful English rose has returned to me." He called out to her as she walked through the gate from the beach, all the heads turning towards her, some looking relieved that the lothario had a new target for his attentions, others looking at her with humour.

"Oh puhleese." She said out loud, drawing a few snickers from the bathers sitting closest who could hear." One of them, a woman in her thirties whispered.

"I have a tazer in my bag if you want to borrow it." She smiled at the woman.

"I may take you up on that." She replied, drawing a laugh from the woman. Robert had followed her through the gate and closed it behind him. The pool plonker noticed him and drew himself up to his full height, which was still a head shorter than Robert.

"Sir, the pool is only for the use of hotel residents, I'm afraid I must ask you to leave."

"It's ok, he's my guest, I just need to get something from my room. Then we'll leave you in peace." Sandra smiled as she linked her arm through Robert's.

"Oh, My rose, why you do this to me? You break-a my heart." He sighed, allowing his voice to carry, making Sandra cringe. Robert smiled, he put his arm around her back. and replied with his voice dangerously low,

"You keep this up, I'll break-a your neck." Sandra allowed a small smile to grace her lips, but really she wanted to high five and punch the air. She had recognised that voice, that had been the DAC, the one who even her and the boys knew not to mess with. She heard several snickers from near by bathers, as she left the pool parasite behind, pale and speechless. Robert still had his arm around her, he leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"Let's leave him in no doubt." She turned her face to him and he gave her a soft kiss, meanwhile his hand wandered lower and caressed her ass. As they rounded the corner, he pulled his hand away. "Sorry, I didn't mean to overstep. I just wanted to make sure he got the message and left you alone." He looked down, slightly embarrassed. She smiled warmly at him as she took his hand.

"You didn't overstep, in fact I rather enjoyed it. You can be my white knight any time you want." She re-assured him, he looked back up at her, surprised by her reaction. "Just because I can look out for myself, doesn't mean I want to all the time." They went up to her room, she had wanted to retreive her handbag, so she could buy him a drink. She unlocked the door, her case still sat by the bed, unopened. She looked around the room.

"It's not as nice as yours, but it'll do." She shrugged. The room was nice enough, but it was hot. There was no air conditioning here.

"Do you have a bath?" Robert asked, peering around, she shook her head.

"Just a shower. All the best rooms were already taken. I think this is their budget room. It's fine, I don't plan on being here much anyway. Just a place to sleep and wash." She tried to look as though it didn't matter at all. She wasn't fooling him. He took a breath and made a leap of faith.

"Sandra, let's get your case, and go and tell reception you're not staying. My apartment is set up for four, the sofa pulls out to another bed. The bathroom is huge and there's plenty of room for two. You'll never be able to relax with that slimeball out there giving you the eye. And if it hadn't been for me taking the same week off, you'd have been able to book earlier and probably have got one of the beach apartments anyway." He was babbling he knew, but he couldn't let her stay, the man at the pool had set all his alarm bells ringing. She smiled softly.

"That is an extremely tempting offer, there is just one problem though. I had been open to the possiblilty of a little holiday romance, that could be a little awkward, don't you think?" He lowered his eyes.

"Probably." He sighed. "The presence of another bloke in the room could hamper things. So how about a swap. You take the apartment, I'll stay here." He looked at her earnestly. "I don't like him, something was very off about the way he fixated on you." She had no doubt he was talking about the pool prick. She nodded.

"He set off every bad vibe I have." She confirmed. She wandered over to the window, looking out at the sea. Her insides were in turmoil, she had come with the idea of finding some peace and quiet, and some male company. Well here he was, if he had been a stranger she had only met today, he'd have been exactly the type of man she would have been attracted to. 'am I insane?' she thought to herself, 'is it worth the risk?' She imagined a small version of herself perched on her left shoulder, clad in a red stocking and suspender set, with a red corset, a little pair of horns and a tail. This was the devilish side of her telling her to go for it, to make good use of that king sized bed, and the box of twelve condoms she had in her bag. There was another version of her perched on her right shoulder, dressed all in white, with a little pair of feathered wings and a halo. This angelic side was telling her that it was a mistake, that he was her boss and she should know better. She made her decision, mentally batting the annoyingly good version away and high fiving the bad. She turned back to him, she realised she had been quiet for too long, he had a neutral expression plastered onto his face, but she could see the hurt in his eyes. He obviously thought she was going to kick him into touch again. She wandered up to him and ran her hands around the collar of his polo shirt. He gulped, his adam's apple bobbing up and down.

"I would love to move into that king size bed you've been warming all week, but I have one condition." She purred.

"What's that?" He almost sqeaked, he couldn't believe she was looking at him the way she was. He hoped the sun hadn't got to him and he wasn't seeing things that wern't there. He could hardly string two thoughts together, the main reason being all the blood had rushed from his brain, straight to his groin. She leaned in close, her lips brushed his ear.

"I want you in it with me." She whispered, so low he almost believed he had heard wrong. Until she slipped her arms around his neck and started to play with the soft hair on his neck. "If you want to, that is." She added, a nervous edge creeping into her voice. He slid his arms around her back and pulled her gently against him, not wanting to scare her off, but needing to demonstrate what effect she had on him.

"Look what you do to me. I have wanted to be with you for so long, but I had given up. I didn't think you would ever see me, let alone want me." He paused, needing to tell her what this meant to him. "I don't do well with women, I thought I could have a bit of fun on this holiday, but I suddenly realised earlier why I just can't find a woman I'm attracted enough to, to want to sleep with."

"Why?" She asked, appreciating his honesty.

"They're not you." He replied simply. "You're the only woman I want. And if I only get these seven days with you, then at least I'll have known something of heaven. If we part at the end of the week, as friends and colleages, I'll be happy to have been lucky enough to have been the one to share a taste of paradise with you." He stopped and took a breath. "Just don't end up hating me. I don't think I could cope with that."

She suddenly realised that what the boys had been teasing her about for years wasn't quite true. Robert Strickland didn't just fancy her, he was in love with her. She touched her lips to his, starting the kiss softly, before using her tongue to tantalise him into deepening the contact. Before she knew it, their tongues were duelling and their lips were fused together. She could feel his erection pressing against her stomach and she lowered one hand between them, running her hand along his length, feeling him through his shorts. He gasped, his eyes locking with hers as she unfastened his shorts and pushed them down past his thighs, releasing him. He ran his hands down her back, caressing her buttocks and lower, he found the hem of her dress and hitched it up, pushing his hand inside her briefs, he squeezed her ass cheek before pushing her underwear down. He moved his hand around her front and slid first one finger, then two inside her, he slid his fingers in and out a few times, realising how hot and wet she was, she was running her hand along his length, rubbing her thumb over the end, wiping away the moisture there.

"Oh God Robert, I need you now!" She gasped as he moved his fingers inside her, his thumb pushing against her sweet spot.

"I don't have anything." He whispered, she knew what he meant and reached for her handbag. She quickly found the box and tore away the cellophane with her teeth, she pulled out one of the little square packets and handed it to him. He pushed her back gently, untill her legs bumped the edge of the bed, he withdrew his hand only long enough to peel the dress up over her head, she kicked her sandles off before laying back on the bed, watching as he pulled off the polo shirt and discarded his trainers and shorts, he stood there naked for a few moments, hardly able to believe the woman on the bed was waiting for him. His erection stood out proudly, 'God, he's amazing!' she thought, as she wriggled her underwear down off her legs. He crawled onto the bed with her, claiming her lips with his, he entered her with his fingers again, and used his thumb to drive her towards the edge of reason, she arched up, a thousand little shooting stars going off behind her eyes as she climaxed. She opened her eye as she came down, he was watching her intently, his dark blue eyes almost black with passion, he used his teeth to tear open the little foil packet and rolled the condom onto his length. He braced himself over her for a second before entering her, slowly sheathing himself inside her. He fought to keep his breathing steady as he let out a moan. She pulled him closer, taking more of his weight on her.

"I won't break." She whispered in his ear. He closed his eyes and started to thrust in and out, slowly at first, trying to prolong things, then as he couldn't hold back any more, his thrusts got quicker, more powerful. "Yes, oh god yes!" She cried as she threw her head back a second climax overtaking her as he pounded into her, beyond control now, until she felt his pace falter. He gave a few more thrusts before he let go, whispering her name over and over. She held him tight as he shuddered against her, whispering in his ear. He stilled, before rolling to the side, taking her with him, he cradled her against his chest as they both fought to bring their breathing back to normal. Eventually she was able to prop herself up on one arm, she looked down on him, light blue eyes met dark blue, she smiled.

"That was incredible." She told him, he smiled up at her.

"You're incredible." He replied. He looked as though he was about to say something else, but he changed his mind at the last moment. She didn't miss it though.

"What is it?" She asked. He shook his head.

"I don't want to spoil the moment." He whispered. She caressed his face.

"You won't, please tell me." She pleaded. He closed his eyes for a second before opening them again, they were glistening with unshed tears.

"I love you, Sandra Pullman. I always have, from the moment we first met, and no matter what happens, I always will." The tears fell down his cheeks, she wiped them away with her thumbs, suddenly aware that she was also crying. A sudden realisation hit her, the reason she hadn't been able to find a date for the past few years, the reason why she couldn't chat to a man without feeling disappointed.

"I didn't realise this until a few moments ago, I love you, I think I may have for a long time. His eyes widened slightly, he couldn't find any words to respond. She loved him. He had spent years dreaming of a moment like this, he never thought he would actually hear the words coming from her mouth. She could sense his turmoil, she kissed him lightly. "Talk to me please." She almost begged him. He looked at her with such an intense look and looked as though he was about to answer, before he grimaced. He smiled shyly.

"I'll just get rid of that." He pointed at the used condom, still wrapped around his now relaxed member. She giggled softly as he stood, making his way to the bathroom. "Bloody hell!" She heard him exclaim. She followed him to the door.

"Are you ok?" She asked, slightly worried.

"I was going to shower off quickly, but I don't think I'd fit all of me into this cubicle at once. You'd have to do one side then the other. She peeped in and started to laugh as she saw the worlds smallest shower cubicle.

"It reminds me of when I was at Hendon, me and a couple of girlfriends went to a caravan park for a weekend, the bathroom was so small that when you bent over the sink to clean your teeth, you had to have your bum up against the window." He started to laugh with her. He flushed away the offending object and wiped himself clean with some paper towel.

"There, that will have to do for now, lets get out of here and I'll introduce you to the hot tub sunset." He leaned in and gave her a soft kiss. They dressed quickly and Sandra gathered up her stuff. Robert picked up her case and they made her way to the foyet. Sandra approached the desk and rang the bell. It was nearly eight o/clock and she didn't even know if there would be a receptionist on duty. Eventually a middle aged carribean man appeared and gave her a wide smile. His smile faltered slightly as he saw Robert and the case.

"Good evening madame. I hope everything is well." He asked pleasantly. She smiled warmly.

"The hotel is fine, and my room is lovely." She lied, but she didn't want to completely ruin his evening. "But I'm afraid I have to leave. I have found alternative accommodation. I'm not going to make a fuss, and I don't mind paying for today."

"I'm sorry you are unhappy, madame, please help me to put things right."

"Sack that horrible, offensive, and downright creepy pool attendant who will not leave women alone, and you may be able to keep your guests."

The man sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Miquelle." He said, as though it was a swear word. "I am sorry madame. You are not the first guest who has been driven to leave by him. Unfortunately he is the son of one of the owners investors, unlike you, I unhappily am stuck with him. My sincere apollogies, I will authorise a full refund of your deposit immediately. And I am glad you will still be able to enjoy your holiday. Please leave your bag, if you let me know where you are staying, I will have my son, Dennis bring it to you in his car." Sandra smiled.

"That's very kind of you." She turned to Robert.

"Ocean Horizon apartments, number eleven." He told the manager. The man smiled.

"That is a beautiful place. I will have Dennis bring your bag straight away." He set about sorting the refund for her and wished them a pleasant evening. They left the hotel and walked back to Robert's apartment, as they arrived, a young man in a battered old maestro pulled up and hopped out. he opened the back and lifted the case out.

"That's good timing." Sandra laughed, the young man beamed at her.

"Papa told me that if I was quick, I would be able to catch up with you. He told me what you looked like, but if you could please confirm your name, I wouldn't want to give your bag to the wrong person."

"Of course. Cassandra Ruth Pullman." She answered. The young man smiled, then looked down at his feet.

"I'm sorry you have had to leave because of Miquelle. Papa has tried to get the owner to get rid of him, but he always seems to wriggle out of trouble, please don't let him spoil your holiday. But in the past, if he has really taken a liking to one of the guests, he has followed them around. Look out for him, and if you see him following you, call this number. It is a local policeman, he has dealt with Miquelle before." He handed Sandra a card before smiling at them, giving a cheery wave and jumping back into the car. He drove away back towards the hotel. Sandra put the card in her bag before looking at Robert, she caught his grin.

"What?" She asked.

"Cassandra?" He questioned, raising one eyebrow. "That's not on your file." She rolled her eyes.

"No, It's not. It's the name I was christened with, after my Grandmother, everyone called me Sandra right from the start, so I don't know why they bothered. It's the name on my passport though. Don't tell the boys!"

"Course not." He smirked. She laughed.

"Show me that sunset of yours."

/

Half an hour later they were both relaxing in the private hot tub, Sandra had never felt so at ease, here she was, watching the tropical sky turning shades of red, orange and pink, the yellow disc of the sun, disappearing past the horizon, casting a rainbow of colours across the sea, the soft waves highlighted by the fading light. She had a glass of white wine in her hand, and was resting against the warm chest of a man she had been dancing around for years. She smiled to herself, and couldn't keep a snort of laughter from escaping.

"Hmmm." He enquired, sipping from his own glass of wine.

"Just thinking, what would the boys do if they knew I was skinny dipping with the boss. I had a vision of me standing over them with a defibrilator, wondering which one to do first." She smiled at him. He snorted on his wine.

"It probably would give them a collective coronary. Which is why I plan on enjoying every moment of this holiday with you. I know things will be different when we get home."

"Are you regretting earlier?" She asked quietly, she didn't want to think he may be having second thoughts. He shifted slightly, moving behind her so that she was sitting between his legs, her back against his chest, he brushed her hair to one side and kissed her neck softly.

"I could never regret one second I spend with you. I even value the times we argue. As I was telling you earlier, I have loved you from the moment we met. That's probably why I was such a prat, I regressed to a fifteen year old."

"Robert, you were still married when we first met." She didn't feel comfortable that she may have been the catalyst behind another relationship breakup. He heard the question in her voice.

"Barely. We hardly spent a minute in each others company without a slanging match breaking out. No matter what I did for her, it was never good enough, I chased promotions I didn't want so that she could go to the officers balls, I joined golf clubs and country clubs so she could mix in the circles she wanted. I joined the sailing club so that she could rub shoulders with the fashionable set, I gave her everything she wanted so that she wouldn't have to play away from home, working every hour God sent to pay for it. Nothing was ever good enough. I was never good enough." He drank down the last of his wine and put his glass on the side. He slid his hands around her body, pulling her gently against him. "You opened my eyes. I realised how shallow she was, image was everything, everything about her was fake. And she pulled me into that. I was a fake, the person you met at that reception didn't really exist, it was an act, a charade I had been practising for years, trying to fit into her world. You were real, alive in a way she never was, you have passion, a drive. The only thing that drove her was getting tickets for London fasion week." He smiled at her, a true smile which lit up his eyes. "Watching you stand up for yourself, fighting for what you believe in, gave me the confidence to stand up for myself."

"What do you mean."

"You remember, It was during the time you were relocated due to asbestos in the office, I got a call at work from my wife."

"I remember. 'Darling', Gerry found that amusing."

"I'm sure he did. I was in polite company, I couldn't use the name I wanted. She had been nagging me about buying into a race horse. That was the first time I said no to her. She told me that if I loved her I'd buy into the race horse so she could get access to the owners paddock. I told her that if she loved me she'd stop asking me to buy her things I couldn't afford."

"What happened?" Sandra couldn't believe he was talking so frankly to her, it was as if he had been bottling all of this up and now that he had started, he couldn't stop.

"She told me that if I couldn't afford a race horse, I couldn't afford her." He smiled sadly. Sandra turned slightly and gave him a soft kiss, caressing his jawline.

"I'm sorry but she sounds like a complete bitch." She told him. He nodded.

"It just took me eleven years and two children to figure it out." He replied. "That's what I feel the most guilt about. My children, they didn't deserve to be caugh up in the middle of that. Kaye was determined to use them as a weapon against me, I refused to be a part of that, as a result, they now think I didn't care enough to fight for them. I don't get to see them anymore... I mean, they don't want to see me." He stopped and looked out at the sunset, the golden light illuminating his features. She could see he was fighting to hold back his emotions, she took his hands.

"How old are they?"

"Mione's fifteen, Russ is eleven. Russ won't speak to me at all. Mione at least remembers me as her Daddy. She sends me a birthday card." Sandra realised how much pain he must have been hiding, the past few years, she felt tears on her cheek, he saw them and wiped them away with his thumb.

"I've gone and ruined the moment again havn't I. Here we are, watching a beautiful tropical sunset, and I'm talking about my marriage breakup."

"I asked, remember." She smiled, "How come you've never mentioned any of this before? The pain you must have been hiding, you know you could have come to us, we wouldn't have judged you." He smiled and wrapped his arms around her.

"I was hiding, pretending everything was fine. It's what I do, It's what I've always done."

"I don't understand."

"The Tim Nice-but-dim act. Upper class clown. If you're irritating enough, people don't hang around long enough to realise anything is wrong. It's a great defense, stop's people getting close enough to hurt you."

"Christy Berlin hurt you." Sandra needed him to know that she was aware how he had been used by that cow. He smiled ironically.

"I let my defenses down, let her into my life. She saw how weak I was and took advantage."

"You're not weak, you were lonely, and she was a bitch too. Anyway, now you've let your defenses down for me?" She pointed out. He shook his head.

"No, you battered your way through them. I Couldn't have said no to you, even if I'd wanted to. Besides, your not a bitch."

"Oh, I can be." She smiled seductively. He laughed.

"You can do what you want to me. I'm all yours." She sat astride him, kissing him passionately.

"Make love to me again." She purred in his ear. He smiled,

"I'd love to, but I've left the box of durex inside."

"All except this one." She reached over the side and produced one of the little foil packets. "I hoped we might need one." She leaned in and captured his lips, he slipped his hands lower down her back and pulled her closer, returning the kiss with interest. She could feel him hard against her stomach. She pulled back slightly, tearing the packet open with her teeth, he held still as she rolled the protection down his hard length, as she did this, he occupied himself with her breasts, licking and sucking first one then the other, she sighed, the sensation of his mouth on her nipples driving her to the edge, she took his face in her hands and kissed him hard, the warm water, bubbling and frothing around her, she pulled back, looking into his dark blue eyes, she lifted herself up and lowered herself onto his shaft, watching as his pupils expanded, darkening his eyes with passion, her pale blue orbs locked with his. She started to ride him, setting the pace, he gripped her buttocks, helping to support her, she bit her bottom lip, feeling him start to thrust back. She felt her climax wash over her, gripping his shoulders, she shouted his name. He held onto her, watching her come back to earth, he pulled out of her, she looked at him puzzled.

"You have to see what I can see." He told her, turning her around. She braced herself on the side of the tub and felt him slide back into her from behind, he started to thrust into her, a slow and steady pace, she could tell he was holding back. She looked out at the sea, the sun had disappeared, and the most beautiful full moon hung in the sky, the stars twinkling brighly illuminating the sea with silver light, the silver waves breaking on the white sand, the sound of the sea matching the timing of his movements, she gasped at the beauty of it.

"Oh my god! This has to be the most perfect moment." She whispered into the breeze, as he ran his hands around her front, one hand kneading her breasts, the other snaking lower, caressing her sweet spot. He kissed her neck and shoulders, all the time keeping up the steady rhythm. She could feel her climax building again, she cried out as her vision exploded. "Oh fuck yes! Come with me." She felt him let go, he gave three, hard thrusts before he shuddered, holding himself inside her.

"Oh, Sandra.." He whispered. He slid out of her and she turned in his arms, holding on to him for dear life as they both came back down to earth. Robert stood, holding his hand out to her. He reached over and turned off the hot tub. "Let's continue this in more comfortable surroundings." He smiled. He helped her step out of the tub first, then followed her, removing the used rubber as he stepped down from the tub. She giggled,

"The rate we're running through those, we're in danger of running out." She laughed as she helped him pull the cover over the now calm pool. He laughed with her.

"I've got a box of twelve upstairs. Havn't even opened them." She looped her arms around his neck and stole another kiss before giving him a golden smile.

"Well that's twenty two in total, should last us a few days."

"Mmmm, maybe." He grinned, as he slid the door open and they made their way inside, kissing their way to the bed. The air conditioning was cooling their skin, but they were generating their own heat. As they tumbled onto the king sized bed, their arms and legs still twined together, Robert leaned in and whispered into her ear.

"I've never felt so alive."

Sandra smiled as his lips found hers again.

"Show me."

/

On the beach, a pair of eyes looked up at the balcony. He stood motionless, his hands fisted at his sides, his face burned with fury. Even though his view was obstructed by the vegetation, he had heard everything.

"Oh, my rose. You will regret being unfaithful to me."

/

Author's note. Ok, this was supposed to be a light, smutty one shot inspired by the weather. It's turned into a monster, so I've had to split it into two. Pleeeaaase review.


	2. Chapter 2

A Taste of Paradise

Disclaimer: New Tricks belongs to the BBC, I'm just letting them have a little fun in the sun.

Rated M, Yes M. Very much M.

A great big thank you to those who reviewed, just for you, here's another great big helping of Sandland. Would you like whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles with that? ;-D

/

Sandra slowly started to become aware of the sunlight streaming onto her face, she sighed, she could feel the warm body beside her, his breathing slow and steady, indecating he was still sound asleep. 'Hardly surprising after last night'. she thought, She remembered the night before. He had taken her by surprise, she would never have guessed he was as indcredible between the sheets as he had proven himself to be, several times in fact. She turned to face him, he was lying on his back, his face turned slightly towards her. He looked so much younger, especially with the shadow of stubble forming on his jaw and with his normally perfect hair tumbling over his face. The severe expression he usually wore, was replaced with one which was more relaxed and trouble free. She let her eyes wander down his body. She had obviously stolen the covers at some point in the night, because her boss was lying beside her in all his glory. He had taken very good care of himself, so many men she knew had got to forty then let their six packs turn to kegs, not this one though. She had admired his body while he had been sunbathing on the beach, but now, close up, she couldn't stop herself from visually feasting on him. He was well muscled, not overly so like a body builder, but toned, she was reminded of the statues she had seen on a visit to the Ashmolean last summer. In the entrance hall, several greek and roman sculptures in all their glory had greeted visitors, much to the amusement of several school parties. Unlike those statues, he was far better endowed, and like most men, blessed with a sunrise of his own.

She couldn't resist any longer. She reached across and gently ran her hand over his stomach. He stired at her touch, his breathing altered, he brought her hand up and laid it over hers, bringing it to his lips and kissing it gently. She looked up to see his blue eyes watching her, a shy smile on his face. She could almost read his mind, he was worried, worried that in the cold light of day, with the magic yesterday left behind, that she would decide he wasn't her white knight after all. She gave him a golden smile, leaning over him, capturing his lips, pouring all of her passion into the moment. She wanted him to know just how much she wanted to be here next to him. He responded to the kiss, bringing his hands up to her face, brushing back her hair, worshiping her. She placed her hand back onto his stomach, then let it wander lower, caressing him. He drew in a sharp breath, her hand pushing any logical thought out of his mind.

"Jeeeese!" He exclaimed, her hand driving him to the edge. "If you don't stop, I won't be able to." He gasped. She grinned at him, a wicked gleam in her eye.

"Maybe that's the plan." She smirked before kissing him hard. She broke the kiss and started to kiss her way down his chest, in very much the same way he had the night before. He had used his talented tongue and mouth to bring her to a frenzy, first on her breasts, then lower, driving her mad as he had worked her most sensitive areas until she had experienced one of the most incredible orgasms of her life.

Now it was her turn. She wasn't really very experienced at this, when she was younger, one of her boyfriends had become very agressive and she had almost gagged as he had held he head in a vice like grip, needless to say, he was an ex-boyfriend shortly after. Since then she had always balked at the thought of going down on a man.

She had told Robert that last night. After he had sent her on such an amazing voyage, she had felt like she needed to explain why she couldn't do the same for him. He had smiled at her and told her in that gentle voice of his, that it didn't matter, and he'd never ask her to do anything she wasn't comfortable with.

As she reached her target, she felt his hand brush her hair away from her face.

"Sandra, you don't have to if you're not comfortable. You know that don't you?" She looked up at him, her blue eyes glittering, she gave him a smile.

"I know, that's why I love you." She whispered. His eyes sparkled. Then widened as she reached her goal.

"Ooohh, Jeeesuuus!"

/

"We really should get up."

"Why, we're on holiday."

"That's true, but we can stay in bed all day at home. There's an island paradise out there. Besides, we need to eat, I don't know about you, but I've about used up my energy reserves."

"Mmmm." Sandra snuggled against him, he looped his arm around her shoulders "Ok, but I need to take a shower first."

"Maybe I'll join you?" He grinned. She smiled back.

"Again? Do you run on duracell or something?"

"You bring out the sexy beast in me. I've never felt anything like this before." He went quiet. Sandra pushed herself up onto one elbow, she could see a sadness in his eyes, and not just a little bit of fear.

"What is it? Please tell me." She begged. He swallowed, turning his face away slightly, as if he was trying to hide from her. She traced the line of his jaw with her hand, gently pulling him back to face her. "Please."

"There's this little voice inside me, it keeps on reminding me that good things just don't happen to me, I don't get to ride off into the sunset with the girl. I can't help it, but I know what you and the team think of me. I know the names I get called, not just by your lot, but by just about everyone. It's ok now, on this island we're anonymous, but when we get home... I just can't imagine you wanting to be with a tosser like me when you can have your pick of men." He paused, trying to explain, "I just don't want to drag you down. I don't want to be an embarassment to you.

She looked at him, trying to comprehend how a man who can stand in front of a room full of packed people and make a speach without a glimmer of nervousness, or can talk to news reporters and tv cameras without so much as flinching, could have so little self esteem.

"Rob. I could never be embarassed by you. I don't understand why you would even think that." She wasn't angry at him, she just needed to understand.

"You will be. When the guys start taking the piss out of you. When you start to get those little stares in the corridors, when the whispering stops as you walk into the room. I won't blame you, you know. If you decide you don't want to be with me when we get home. I will understand. You have a reputation, I don't. People already think I'm a waste of space." All the time he was talking, his hand was gently rubbing her back, as if he was trying to sooth her. Sandra wanted to cry, here he was, talking about himself as if he wasn't worth the effort, and he was trying to offer her comfort.

She sat up onto her knees, looking him in the eyes, she sat looking at him for a few moments, taking in every inch of his body.

"Rob, have you looked in the mirror recently." He looked at her, a confused look on his face. "You should. You're forty six, with one of the best bodies I have ever layed eyes on. You are handsome, and charming. In the past twelve hours, you've loved me like nobody ever has before. I've felt comfortable with you, like I have finally found somebody I can be myself with. I don't know what will happen when we get home, but you can be sure of one thing. I have never cared what other people think about me. They can go to hell for all I care. And I know the boys sometimes give you a hard time, but in the end, they'd be in our corner." She nestled back down next to him, kissing him softly. "Will you do something for me?"

"Of course, anything."

"Trust me. I'm not one of those people who've hurt you. And I will never intentionally cause you pain." She smiled at him, running her fingernails across his pecks, playing with the soft hair. "Now. We are on holiday. I don't want to think of home. I want to make love with you in the shower, then I want to see some of this paradise. In the brochure it mentioned a lagoon on the island where you can swim. Take me there, I want to swim with you."

He brushed the hair away from her face, caressing her cheek with one hand, while the other ran around her back.

"Mmmm sounds good to me." He released her and stood, offering her his hand. She took it and allowed him to lead her down the stairs to the large bathroom. He reached into the shower and turned on the water. The huge overhead shower started to cascade like a warm rainstorm. Robert held the glass door open for Sandra who stepped under the deluge, allowing it to fall over her face and down over her breasts. She felt him step up behind her, his hands snaking around her front, caressing her flat belly then traveling north, he kissed her neck and shoulder while he fondled her, teasing her nipples until they were so hard, she was sure she could cut glass with them. She could feel his erection against her lower back. She gasped, tilting her head back, exposing more of her neck to him, he responded by kissing her throat, she turned her head slightly so that she could capture his lips, the kiss was a bone melting, reality warping, time stopping sort of kiss which, when he pulled away left her gasping for air. The water cascaded down over them massaging their skin, setting their nerves tingling. Rob reached out and took the soap in his hand. He worked the soap until his hands were lathered up then started to rub the soft foam over her body, paying special attention to her breasts. He worked his hands lower, until he found her core. He slipped his middle finger inside her folds, slowly pushing inside.

"Oh God!" Sandra pushed against his hand needing to feel more of him. He added another finger, and started to work them in and out, she reached around him and gave his long hard length a squeeze, he grazed her shoulder with his teeth.

"Bollocks! I left the condoms upstairs." He exclaimed. She looked over her shoulder.

"My period only finished the day before yesterday. I'm in the safe part of my cycle. I want to feel you come in me." She braced her hands against the wall and opened her legs slightly, he moved behind her, he held her hips and entered her from behind in one long powerful thrust.

"Ooohhh, Yes!" She moaned as he pulled almost all the way out before pushing in again. "Harder!" He obliged by speeding up his thrusts, until he was pounding against her. It should have been painful, but Sandra was oblivious as she felt her climax building. She started to meet his thrusts with her own, increasing the intensity.

"Oh God! That's... fucking...amazing!" He gasped, as he could feel his own climax approaching. He reached around and squeezed her breasts, kneeding first one, then the other, his other hand grasping at her mound, pushing her back onto him as he impaled her. She cried out as her climax overtook her, he supported her weight as he came hard, filling her. He stilled, allowing her to come down gently, before turning her in his arms and holding her tightly against his chest. She wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder as she regained control of her legs and her heart rate settled, she could feel the thudding of his heart against her cheek. She looked up into his face, his dark blue eyes met her light blue, and she leaned in to kiss him. He kissed her back, so tenderly she almost wept. He washed her down, caressing every inch of her body. She did the same for him, until he shut off the shower and reached for the giant white towel on the side and wrapped them both in it. He kissed her sensuously.

"I could do with a shower like that every morning. What a superb way to get the day started." He smiled, his eyes twinkling. She grinned back.

"It would, but we'd be late for work every morning." She pointed out. He laughed.

"You're probably right. But then again, as the boss, you'd only be late if you arrived after me." He leaned in and whispered in her ear. "And I promise, I'll alway come last."

/

"Did you see where I put my sunglasses?"

It was soon after they were dressed and ready to go out. Rob was wearing a pair of pale green swimming shorts and a white t-shirt, Sandra had put on her bikini and had wrapped a sarong around her middle, both just had flip flops on, ready to go swimming in the freshwater lagoon nearby. Sandra had found herself hunting high and low for her shades, which seeing as she had only had them the evening before was somewhat puzzling.

"You had them when we got in the hot tub, did you leave them on the deck." Rob replied. She slid the door open and stepped into the carribean heat. Now she thought about it, she remembered putting them down on the table on the veranda. As she looked in that direction, her heart jumped. Her glasses were gone, but a single flower was there in their place, and she knew for a fact it hadn't been there last night. She picked it up and went back inside, looking over her shoulder as she went. Rob saw how her demeanour had changed.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" He joined her by the door. She held out the flower to him.

"My glasses are gone, this was in it's place."

"A rose. An english rose?" He sighed and took the rose out of her hand, laying it on the table. He pulled her into an embrace. "Maybe we ought to go and see the policeman on the card Dennis gave you." She nodded against his chest. Just then the shrill sound of a ringtone filled the room. Sandra looked around confused, before routing through her bag and pulling out her mobile. She frowned at the caller display.

"It's the office. I told them not to call unless it was an emergency." The phone stopped ringing as she spoke and the call was diverted to messages. She jumped as it started to ring again.

"They won't give up will they?" Rob smiled wryly. Sandra shook her head and pressed the accept button. She put the phone on speaker and layed it on the table.

"Sandra! I'm sorry for ringing you on your holiday, but we need some help." Brian's voice came over the speaker.

"What can I do? I'm not just up the road you know."

"We know. But we've been doing the preliminary on the Longton case. All the evidence seems to lead to this character called Sergei Kaladov. We did a search but hit a barrier. We need a clearance code to access his file. We wondered if we could try your code."

"My access won't work, It's not high enough." Sandra replied.

"Aye, that's what I thought." He sounded dejected.

"Brian, what time is it there?"

"Four in the morning. We worked through the night trying to find any alternative than to disturb your holiday. How is it by the way?"

"Fantastic!" She replied, looking at Rob.

"We sort of knew your access wouldn't work. We really need Strickland to pull some strings. But we're all to chicken to phone him." She looked over to where Rob was listening, an amused look on his face. He nodded to her.

"Hang on Brian, I'll put him on." She gestured to the phone on the table. Robert came and stood next to her and slipped an arm around her waist.

"Morning Brian."

"Sir? Is that you?" Brian's voice had gone up an octave, Rob and Sandra could hear muttered voices and movement in the background.

"How many other Strickland's do you know?"

"Right.. yes...sorry sir."

"An access code won't help. Go up to my office, in the top left hand drawer of my desk is an address book. Look for David Swan, He's a friend of mine, he'll be able to help you. Just tell him you are working for Bull."

"Bull?"

"It's a nickname. He'll know I've sent you."

"Ok, Thank you... Sir?"

"Yes Brian?"

"What are you doing there?"

"Helping me relax. Goodbye Brian." Sandra interrupted, before pressing the disconnect button. She turned to face him.

"Well, we're out." She shrugged. Rob smiled.

"At least we didn't hear any defibrilators."

/

About an hour later, they found themselves walking towards the little building the island called a police station. Sandra had her arm linked through his and if it hadn't been for the rose, carefully wrapped in a piece of tissue in her bag, she would have felt on top of the world. She glanced at his face.

"Why Bull? Except for the obvious." She asked, laughing. He blushed, then shrugged.

"It's not very interesting, I met David at university. In the little gang we used to hang about in, there was another Robert, so the others gave us both a nickname. A history student called Lucille came up with Bull."

"Why?"

"My name, Strickland. One of its origins is from the old English word stircland. which basically means cultivated land where young bulls are kept." He smiled at her. "Of course, it didn't hurt that when hitting the pubs and clubs around Oxford, Bull was a pretty good nickname to get the girls chatting."

"I bet it was. So what did the other Robert get called?"

"Curly. Please don't ask me why."

"Oh go on, why?" She needed to know now. He laughed.

"It had to do with his shape when he was ...Excited." She looked at him for any sign that he was joking. She started to giggle.

"Curly and the bull. Oh I wish I had been on those nights out."

"It seems like a lifetime ago. Lets see, besides me and Curly, there was Beans, Peck, Lettuce, Kipper, Parker, Vlad and Lulu. Bloody hell, we were so young."

"I know what you mean. I often wonder whether if I knew then what I know now, would I have done things differently."

"Joined the police you mean?" She nodded. "What do you think you would have done if you hadn't."

"I don't know. It was so much a part of me from such a young age. I never really considered doing anything else. What about you."

"I wanted to be a soldier. I couldn't wait until I turned eighteen and could get away from my 'family'" He said the word family as if it was the worst curse he could think of. "Of course, I mucked that up. There was a lad in my squad at sandhurst, he wasn't very macho if you get my meaning. Another cadet gave him hell, one day I caught him and his cronies standing over the lad. He was urinating over him, calling him all sorts of foul names. I broke the bastards jaw. Unfortunately, his father was the base commander." He smiled at Sandra. "That was the end of my army career. Three years at university, then three years at sandhurst, and I had nothing to show for it."

"How did you end up with the force?"

"The Commander tried to press assault charges. The DI in charge basically told him that his son was a racist bully who got what he deserved, and that I should have been given a medal instead of getting kicked out. He persuaded me to go to Hendon."

"I'm glad you did."

They entered the little police station and approached the desk. A young man in a tan uniform smiled up from where he was sat.

"Good Morning, Sir, Madam, I hope you are enjoying our island. How can I help you?"

"We've been told to ask for this man." Sandra handed the young officer the card.

"Captain Thomas. I'll get him for you." He stood and went through a door behind the desk. A few moments later he returned with an older man, mid fifties, his hair and moustache were greying, but his dark eyes twinkled.

"I hear you are looking for me. I am Dmitri Thomas."

"Captain Thomas, my name is Robert Strickland, I am very pleased to meet you." He held out his hand, and shook the older man's. "This is Sandra Pullman, my..." He paused, their relationship was so new, he really didn't know.

"Thank you for taking the time to see us." She rescued him, reaching to shake the man's hand. He nodded knowingly.

"How can I help?"

"We were given your card by Dennis, the manager's son from the Royale.." Sandra started, the policeman frowned, his previously jovial face darkened.

"I assume this is about Miquelle De Martinez?"

"Yes. Captain, I work in a very male dominated field, and as such, I can usually take care of people like him, however, he has set us on edge, and last night, I left my sunglasses on the balcony of our apartment. This morning they were gone, and I found this." Sandra took out the rose and put it on the desk. "He started calling me his English rose when I arrived yesterday." The policeman looked at his young assistant.

"Peter, can you fetch us some coffee." He opened the door and held it for them. "You had better come through." He showed them to a small office, he sat down behind the desk, indecating for them to take the seat opposite. He opened a drawer and took out a cream folder. "I do not wan't to scare you good people, but Miquelle is more dangerous than you might think."

"What do you mean?" Robert's copper's instincts were kicking in, he looked at Sandra and saw she had picked up on the same thing.

"As I said, I do not want to scare you, I want you to enjoy your holiday. But, in the past Miquelle has caused...difficulties for people."

Sandra felt Robert squeeze her hand. She looked back to the policeman in front of her.

"Captain Thomas, we are both police officers ourselves, so you can be frank with us." The older man raised his eyebrows.

"Police. Are you here on business?" She could see the Captain bristle.

"Oh no, we are here on holiday." Robert re-assured him. He could see he needed to keep the man onside. "We work together in London, and met here unexpectedly."

"That is a great co-incedence indeed." They could see he was suspicious.

"Not so much, one of our colleagues honeymooned here earlier this year. She enjoyed it so much she left some brochures in the canteen. We both picked one up." She smiled, "Robert's already been here a week, I arrived yesterday, we bumped into each other on the beach."

"So are you staying at the Royale?" He asked, he seemed to relax.

"Not any more. Miquelle's attitude worried Robert, I checked out."

"That is probably wise. If I may ask, where are you staying now."

"Ocean Horizon apartments."

"That is a beautiful place to stay, you were very lucky to get in, they are usually all full at this time of the year." Sandra blushed, glancing at Robert.

"Robert was already staying there. I have moved in with him." The Captain smiled slightly.

"Ahh, I see. Not to worry. We do not judge on this island, we have a reputation for being a romantic paradise after all." He grinned. "I am glad you have come away from the Royale, poor Raymond, that is Dennis' father, he has been plagued by Miquelle's presence since the owner of the hotel ordered him to give the boy a job eight years ago, he was only just eighteen then but it seems he was already in trouble in his native Portugal. He seems to latch onto lone female guests, and basically make a nuisance of himself until they either leave, or I put him into a cell for a few nights with a warning. Unfortunately, his father invests in most of the island, so he always gets away with a slap on the wrist."

"You said he has a dangerous side?" Robert probed, the older man nodded.

"You understand, I have no proof, or I would have already acted. In the past few months, Miquelle's behaviour has started to escalate, and there have been incedents of stalking, and at least two attacks."

"Attacks." Robert was on high alert now.

"The first, the young lady in question was on the beach in the evening, she was grabbed from behind, the attacker grabbed at her chest and tried to rip her top. A passer by saw and shouted and the attacker ran off. Neither could identify or describe the assailant. The second was more serious. This lady was attacked in her hotel room. She had left the Royale and checked into the Whitecove further down the beach. The attacker was waiting in her room, subdued her with chloriform and undressed her. He was interupted by the hotel maid, who screamed and raised the alarm. The victim was unable to describe her attacker, and though the maids description was very like Miquelle, she couldn't pick him out of a line up."

"You are sure it was this Miquelle?" Sandra asked. The policeman nodded.

"He was very smug about it, he taunted us. You see, he knows his father will buy him out of trouble, and he looks down on us stupid natives." They could see the anger in the cops eyes.

"Maybe we can help you." Sandra suggested, Robert looked at her.

"I'm not sure I'm going to like this."

"Miquelle has already set his sights on me, so we have a choice. Either we can lock ourselves away in our apartment and hide from him until our plane leaves on Saturday, which, by the way I have absolutely no intention of doing. Or we can entice him in, and nail the bastard so we can get on with enjoying our well deserved holiday." She looked at the two men, Robert looked slightly pale and she could tell he wasn't happy, but had realised there was no other option, the Captain had a grin on his face which was threatening to split his face in two. He addressed Robert.

"My friend, she is magnificent! Fearsome even!"

"You have no idea."

"If you can help me put this plague behind bars where he belongs, myself and my island will be eternally grateful to you." He sat back in his chair. "Do you have an idea."

"Well, as it happens, I do." Sandra smiled. She looked at Robert and gave his hand a squeeze. "Miquelle has obviously been watching us, so lets continue to give him something to watch." Robert smiled.

"I think I could manage that." Sandra blushed again.

"We may be able to push him into doing something stupid. You Captain will have your officers hidden around the vicinity, waiting for our signal."

"I can give you a whistle. My officers carry them on the beach to alert other officers, I can also give you some pepper spray. I will have at least two plain clothed officers not more that ten metres from you at any one time." He stood. "I'll go and get the spray and whistle from stores and arrange the officers, I'll be back very soon." He left the room, closing the door behind him. Rob stood and started to pace.

"He seemed very excited, he must be desperate to catch this bloke." Sandra joked, trying to lighten the mood. She stood and faced Rob, "I know this isn't ideal, but I don't want to spend our time here hiding. You know that's not my nature." He nodded and placed his hands on her shoulder's.

"Just promise me one thing."

"Go on."

"Promise me you won't go anywhere on your own until we've caught the bastard. Let me be your shadow." She saw the very real fear in his eyes and nodded.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"When you were introducing us to Captain Thomas, you hesitated. what were you going to introduce me as?" She smiled. His eyed twinkled.

"Oh I don't know, my floosey, my bit-on-the-side, strumpet, bird, ummm...OW!" He laughed as she playfully slapped him on the shoulder, "..My maybe-one-day fiance, the only woman I ever want to be with, the most incredibly beautiful, brave and generous woman who for some reason seems to have chosen to be with me..." He stopped talking as she slipped her arms around his neck, silencing him with a kiss. He smiled as she pulled back slightly. "Girlfriend just didn't seem enough." She could see the love in his eyes, it dazzled her, making her speechless. She tightened her arms around his back, laying her head on his shoulder. He returned the embrace. "I know you are quite capable of looking after yourself, but I promise you I'll kill that little bastard before I let him lay one grubby finger on you." She smiled against his chest.

"I know you will." She whispered.

They were interupted by the return of the Captain. He smiled as he saw the two of them.

"Are you sure you found each other here? You seem so much a pair, like two people who have been together for years."

"We've worked together for several years, I think this place helped us to open our eyes." Sandra smiled.

"I have here two whistles and two pepper sprays. I have contacted several officers who have all voluteered to work in rota to shadow you. When I told them what we are planning, they all wanted to help, we all want Miquelle De Martinez in jail." He handed over the items. "Do you have any plans for today?"

"We are going to the lagoon, then we'll probably get something to eat before going back to the apartment. Then probably spend the rest of the day on the beach." She explained as she put the spray and whistle in her bag.

"Ahh, the lagoon is beautiful. My people will give you your privacy, they will stay only close enough to hear the whistle."

"Thank you." Sandra replied.

"No my friends, it is I who must thank you. Now, please enjoy our island." He bid them goodbye and they left the building, walking out into the bright sunshine.

"Ok, we need to make another stop." Sandra stated.

"Where?"

"Over there." She indecated a nearby street vendor. "I need some new sunglasses."

/

Authors note: So it looks like this is going to be three chapters, so much for the hot little quickie. Next chapter will have action, danger and much more smut, a bit like a bond film but without the budget. Pleeeeeese review so I know people are reading. And a great big Thank you with virtual hugs to those who of you who follow my stories, you know who you are.. You make it all worth while. xxx S


	3. Chapter 3

Sandra A Taste of Paradise

Disclaimer: New tricks belongs to the BBC, Miquelle De Martinez is mine, but I don't really want him... Do you think Aunty Beeb would swap him for Rob?

Rating; M.

Pairing; Whoja Think! ;-D

Note; In the last chapter, I got the time difference wrong. The Caribean is 6 hours behind, not in front, Whoops. Sorry, fixed for this chapter.

/

Sandra couldn't remember ever feeling this good, she was laying face down on her towel, the sand warm beneath her body, sunlight filtering through the coconut palms, warming her back. She had spent the morning swimming in a crystal clear lagoon, a place so beautiful it seemed to have come straight from a bounty advert. It was everything she had been dreaming of the past few weeks as she had endured the rain of the British summer. The only thing different from the pictures in the brochure which she had been gazing at in the run up to her holiday was the presence of the man swimming in the sea, not ten metres from her. At the lagoon, they had swam together, revelling in the freedom of the anonimity of their surroundings, and had eventually emerged from the water long enough to find a secluded spot where they could make out like a couple of teenagers.

She looked at the mobile lying next to her. It was Rob's, which he had told her to use as it was set up for international calls. She had been building up the courage to make this call for nearly an hour. It wasn't going to be easy, and she had hoped to have a few more days of heaven before having to face the real world. Eventually she plucked up the courage and dialled the number which was imprinted in her memory. The phone rang a few times before a familiar voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Esther. It's Sandra. Is Brian there?"

"Oh, Sandra. Of course, I'll call him... 'BRIAN PHONE!'... Jack and Gerry are here too. They all came over for tea. How's the holiday? Are you having a nice time?"

"Fabulous. Thanks, have they said anything?" She asked, her voice went up an octave with nerves.

"You mean about meeting your boss over there. They have been wondering. Quite a coincidence, but at least you have a friendly face to enjoy your holiday with." Sandra could almost hear the smile in the other woman's voice.

"Who is it?" She heard the familiar voice in the background.

"Sandra's on the phone." She heard the muffled noises of the handset changing hands. She sat up on the towel, watching the man in the sea.

"Sandra. What's going on?" Brian came straight to the point. Sandra sighed.

"Hey Brian. Look, I know you probably have some questions, but first I need your help. There is a Portugese national living on the Island called Miquelle De Martinez. I need you to see if you can get any background on him."

"Why? What's up?"

"It's a long story."

"Ok, I'll see what I can find and call you back."

"Use Robert's phone. It's set up for use abroad. If you call mine it'll end up costing me a fortune." She closed her eyes and waited for the response.

"Robert! Since when has he been Robert. When we called this morning, we sort of got the impression that the two of you were in the same room. What's going on?"

"This Miquelle character made us feel uncomfortable, he works at the hotel I was staying at. Rob asked me to share his apartment to get away from him."

"So you're sharing an apartment? Is that all?"

"Brian..."

"I mean, are you just sharing living accomodation and going your seperate ways, or have you been seeing a lot of him?"

She watched as the man in question emerged from the surf. His pale green shorts clinging to him in a way which left nothing to the imagination. She smiled mischieviously.

"I've seen plenty." She murmured.

"Eh?"

"Oh, I've been seeing quite a lot of him." She replied, as he sat down on the towel next to her. He gave her a peck on the cheek and mouthed 'who?' . She covered the phone.

"Brian." She whispered. He nodded. She pressed the speaker button.

"What do you mean?" The northern accent asked. Sandra sighed. There was no point in procrastinating, her boys were probably imagining allsorts anyway.

"Brian. How can I put this. I met him unexpectedly on the beach an hour after I landed, we had dinner and got chatting. We've been together ever since."

"What, even at night?" The yorkshire tilt went up an octave. Sandra looked at Rob, he smiled and nodded.

"Yes. We've been sleeping together." It was blunt and to the point, and didn't nearly explain what they had, but it was all she could think of. She waited for a response.

"Oh!" Was all she got. She waited for a moment.

"Brian? Are you still there?" She asked nervously. "Brian?"

"I'm still here. You just took me by surprise. Look, I'll get that search started and call you later." With that the line went dead. Sandra folded her arms around herself. Despite the warmth of the sun, she suddenly felt cold.

Robert watched as she started to cry softly, he knew how much her 'boys' meant to her. He also knew how much they disliked him. He shifted so he was sat behind her, and pulled her into his embrace, she turned and put her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder, he held her tightly, trying to give any sort of comfort.

"Tell me what I can do." He whispered, kissing the top of her head. She shook her head slightly and tightened her grip on him. Robert felt his heart break, he felt so helpless. "I'm sorry, I never wanted to hurt you." Sandra raised her face to his.

"It's not your fault, never think that. It's just that things have changed so quickly. There is so much going around in my head. I had hoped we could face them together when we got home, but with all these miles between us, I can't see their eyes, read their faces. I don't know what they are thinking, and I hate it. They've become so much a part of my life, I don't want them to think I'm..." She couldn't find the right words, Robert smiled and finished for her.

"Consorting with the enemy?"

"Well, Yes. I mean, I know that's probably how they see it. I want them to see what I've seen over the last twenty four hours. But that's not possible at this distance. I don't know what to do. I wish I hadn't told them now." She sighed sadly. He leaned down and kissed her softly.

"Whatever you want me to do, I will do. If you want me to hold you tight and be your shield, I'll do that. If you need me to give you some room to think, I can keep my distance. But don't ask me to stop loving you because that's one thing I just can't do. And I don't regret what has happened, not one little bit. They will come round, you know they will. They love you too much to stay angry at you. You knows, maybe by the time we get back on Saturday, they will have had time to calm down."

"Brian said he would call back with any information he can find on Miquelle." She said softly.

"Well, that's good. Maybe he'll have a chance to think things through before he calls back. Why don't we get a shower and get dressed. There is a seafood restaurant in the harbour. We'll get something to eat, then maybe we can come back here and relax."

"What about Brian?"

"I'll keep my phone on me. If we do happen to miss his call, we can always phone back."

"Will you do something for me?"

"Of course, whatever you want."

"Lie down here with me. I just want to snuggle for a bit, then we can shower for dinner. I want to just be with you for a while, forget everything else." She smiled, "Does that make any sense?"

"It makes perfect sense." He moved so he was beside her, laying down, he put his arm out inviting her in, she lay down next to him, her head pillowed on his shoulder, he wrapped her in his arms, enveloping her in his embrace. "Okay?" She nodded.

"Rob?"

"Mmmm."

"Whatever happens, don't blame yourself. I love you. So long as I have you, the rest will work itself out."

"I'm not going anywhere my love. I promise."

/

Esther wandered back into the kitchen, carrying some of the tea things and putting them in the sink, she turned to face her husband. He was stood motionless, looking at the phone which was laying on the working top.

"Are you alright love?"

"It's Sandra."

"Sandra? Is she alright?" Esther asked alarmed. "She sounded fine."

"Oh, she is. It's just that...Well...She's been with Strickland."

"It's nice that she met a friendly face to spend her holiday with. I don't care how independant someone is, it's nice to have company to share memories with." Esther chattered, Brian looked at her, a stunned look on his face.

"No, but she's been getting to know him. Biblicly I mean."

"And? If she were our teenage daughter, I'd be worried, but she's forty something years old and can look after herself. And Mr Strickland's nice. I think it's lovely. A holiday romance." She smiled whistfully. Just then, Jack and Gerry shuffled into the kitchen.

"What's up. You've been gone ages." Gerry asked, adding the pile of dishes he had brought with him to the others.

"Sandra called." Esther replied. Gerry and Jack both stopped dead and looked at Brian.

"Well?" Jack demanded.

"Is she?" Gerry asked at almost the same time. Brian took a deep breath.

"She asked me to look up a portugese man who is living on the island. I've got to call her back."

"Portugese?" Gerry questioned.

Brian sat at the table and opened his laptop. He started a police search on the man Sandra had mentioned.

"Do we know why she want's to know about this bloke?" Gerry asked, Brian shook his head.

"Not really, just said that he worked at her hotel and had made her feel so uncomfortable, she had left." He raised his eyes to the two other men. "She's staying at the same place as Strickland."

"Well, that explains it. If they are staying at the same complex, no wonder he was there this morning, he probably called to take her out or something." Jack reasoned.

"Yeah, or something!" Gerry interupted, "Mark my words, that slimey bastard will be trying to get into her knickers." Brian coughed.

"She's not staying in the same complex, she's staying in the same apartment."

"See!" Gerry exclaimed. "I bet he's all over her, trying to wheedle his way into her bed. I cottoned onto him right from the start." He took a breath. "Right, we have to phone her, tell her to watch herself."

"Gerry. I already asked her what's going on. She told me they met on the beech just after she arrived. They've been together ever since. He's already sleeping with her."

"That Bastard! I'm gonna kill 'im!" Gerry spat. Jack looked pale and sat down heavily.

"Silly girl." He muttered.

Esther had watched and listened to the conversation from the door. She folded her arms and looked at them sternly.

"Shame on you all! Do you want to know what I think? Well even if you don't, I'm going to tell you. I think you should all shut up and listen to yourselves. You're all talking about Sandra like she's some gullible, vulnerable teenager, and you're going on about Mr Strickland like he's a lecherous predator...Shut up Gerry!" She stopped Gerry from interupting. "Brian, you told me his marriage broke up several years ago, how many girlfriends has he had since then?"

"Well, I'm not really sure... I mean..." He looked to his friends for help.

"There was that Christy bird, but she chucked him after she got what she wanted." Gerry answered, he looked to Jack

"That's the only one I can think of. I've seen him trying to chat up women at the parties we go to, he's not very good at it though." He shrugged. Esther scowled at them.

"Not exactly a gigolo is he. From what I remember of the few times I met him, he was something of a gentleman."

"It's not that, he's well...He's..." Jack felt like a child being scolded.

"He's the boss." Gerry replied, as though it answered everything. "He can be a right fu.. fickle bugger sometimes."

"I'm sure he can. I imagine he'd have to be to cope with you lot. But let me tell you one thing I know about him that none of you know. When Brian was in that rehab clinic, the union told me they could only fund half of his treatment, now, you may or may not know that the other half came from Sandra." The boys nodded.

"We worked that out." Jack agreed.

"Well, what you don't know, is that I received a receipt for the bill from the clinic for the other half. The union pulled out it's funding when it found out the clinic was not one of it's approved facilities. He paid it. Your boss, the one I've spent countless hours listening to you moaning about, the one you are constantly calling names and making fun of. And I want you to think about this, when I answered the phone earlier, Sandra sounded happy, she didn't sound like she was under duress, or was being pressured. I do know that when you hung up the phone, she didn't sound so happy. Don't you dare ruin this holiday for her." Esther turned her back on them and marched out of the room. The boys all looked at each other.

"I feel as though I've just been reamed out by a headmistress." Jack gulped.

"Welcome to my life." Brian replied. Just then his computer beeped. He scrolled down the screen. "We need to call Sandra, this is serious." He frowned.

/

Rob watched as Sandra slept against his shoulder, he brushed his fingers through her golden hair, gently moving the stray strands from her face. She had dropped off against his shoulder almost as soon as they had settled down together, the warmth of the sand and the sound of the sea lulling her into a gentle sleep. He watched her face as she slept, he felt at though he could stay in this moment forever, except for the fact he was developing a severe and painful case of pins and needles in his arm. He gently extracated himself from the sleeping beauty. He wanted to head inside and shower off, but he didn't want to leave her alone on the beach. He ran up and opened the doors to the apartment, then returned to the beach, he slipped his phone into his shorts pocket and gathered Sandra into his arms, she started to stir, he held her tightly against him until she settled, then he carried her up the steps and into the apartment, she shivered gently as the cooler air hit her skin, he carried on until he got to the bed where he laid her down gently and pulled the bedspread over her. He brushed the hair back from her face and kissed her forehead.

"I love you." He murmured against her soft skin, and left her to snooze, he collected the towel and other items they had left on the beach, he didn't want Miquelle to get any more souveniers, and returned to the apartment, sliding the door shut, he locked it. He wanted to be sure that just for now, they were safe. He got himself a glass of orange juice from the fridge and was just about to head for a shower when the phone in his pocket started to ring. He looked at the caller display, he didn't recognise the caller, but could see it was a London code. He took a breath, calming his temper, the logical part of his brain knew that the boys hadn't meant to hurt Sandra, but the other part of him could only think of her tears, and wanted to break noses. He pressed the accept button.

"Strickland." He answered, his voice calmer than he felt.

"Oh, Sir. Umm, Is Sandra there?" Brians voice sounded hollow, Robert realised he must be on speaker phone.

"Sandra's upstairs asleep."

"Oh, ok. Umm Is she alright."

"She will be." Robert wanted to lay into the men listening on the other end of the line, but the politician in him realised that would only drive a bigger wedge in between himself and Sandra's team.

"Will you tell her I'm sorry, for earlier." Brian sounded thoroughly miserable, Robert took pity on him.

"I will, she'll be glad you've called back. Do you have any news for us."

"Yes. This De Martinez is a real piece of work. He was prime suspect in Portugal for the rape of three women. Then he escalated to rape and murder, the teenage daughter of the family's housemaid. The poor girl was kidnapped, raped and strangled. The portugese police were about to arrest him when he vanished, his father claimed to have no knowledge of his whereabouts. He has been arrested in the past for sexual assault, stalking and GBH. When he was twelve, he spent a year in a psychiatric hospital, he attacked a class mate with a hammer when she refused his advances. His father has bought his way out of trouble each time."

"Right, I'm going to email you a name and phone number. Can you pass all the information you've found to him, then pass his details on to the Portugese police."

"Is this the bloke Sandra was talking about? She said someone was bothering her so she left her hotel."

"Yes, something about him was very off, Sandra can handle your common or garden pest, but this one set my hackles going, and he gave Sandra the creeps. We've been to the local police and they've confirmed he has a reputation for making a nuisance of himself. They've also linked him to two sexual assaults, but they have no evidence. Sandra..." He trailed off, he didn't want to worry them, but at the same time, he didn't want to hide anything.

"Sandra what?" Gerry's voice came in from the background. Robert sighed.

"Sandra wants to offer herself up as a target. We've got a police bodyguard, but I don't like it."

"I don't either!" Jack exclaimed, "I don't like the idea of Sandra being the object of this phsycho's obsession, with only a couple of island cops as back up."

"Can't you talk her out of it?" Brian added. He heard Gerry in the background.

"This is Sandra we're talking about. He's got more chance of persuading the sun not to rise. You know what she's like when she gets an idea in her head."

"She won't back down. Her only other options are to pack her bags and come home, or hide herself away until Saturday. You know she won't do either of those, it would just leave the nest poor sod he targets to solve the problem." Jack agreed. Robert decided to bite the bullet.

"Look, I know how much you care about her, and I know you all probably want to knock my block off at this moment. But I promise you this, If Miquelle De Martinez want's to get to Sandra, he'll need to get past me first. I'm not going to let her out of my sight until this little Bastard is in custody." He heard some shuffling, then Jack's voice came over the line, louder than before.

"You're right, we do care for her. I care for her, and I do want to knock seven bells out of you right now. We're used to protecting her from arseholes and those who'd take advantage of her, but since we cant be there to do that, you look after her. Do you hear me?"

"Loud and clear." Robert agreed.

"Right. You send me that number." Brian's voice came back over the line."

"And keep us posted." Gerry put in. Robert smiled softly.

"I will. Speak to you later." He hung up and looked at the phone for a moment. He took a photo of the card Dennis had given them and emailed it to the boys. He peeled the shorts off and headed to the bathroom. As he stepped under the cascade of water, he replayed the conversation with the boys over in his mind, he knew they would have a face off when he got back, but he was sure they wouldn't give Sandra a difficult time. He could handle their anger, he was used to being public enemy number one, so long as they directed their anger towards him, he could keep Sandra from being torn in two. His thoughts drifted to the woman upstairs. He was overwhelmed by the depth of feeling he had for her, they had only been together for about twenty four hours, but he found the thought of losing her unbearable. He had always loved her, he had been drawn towards her from the moment they were first introduced, but everytime he had tried to talk to her, his nerves had got the better of him and he'd wound up looking like a prize idiot, and he'd never forgiven Bevan for his 'friendly' advice, that she prefered to be called 'Sandy'. He thought about this last day which he had spent in the company of the most amazing woman who had allowed him into her life. He couldn't help it, his body responded immediately, leaving him as hard as a rock. He sighed and turned the temperature of the water down a bit, cooling the water. That didn't help, he just remembered the lagoon they were at earlier, the cool waterfall refreshing them as they had kissed. The image in his mind, of Sandra in her bikini, the water running down her cleavage, made the cold shower even less effective. He groaned and wrapped his hand around his member, he stroked himself slowly, trying to give himself some relief from the memories running through his head. He became aware that he wasn't alone, he looked to the door, where Sandra stood, watching him, her eyes hungry.

"You want some help with that?" She smirked. He removed his hand and slid the door of the shower open. He stood there in all his glory, his erection standing to attention.

"This is all your fault." He smiled. "One thought of you pops into my head and this happens."

She undid the straps on her bikini top and let the material fall to the floor, she stepped towards him and did the same with the bottoms, until she stood naked in front of him. She ran a finger along his length, her nail raking him, making him breath hard. She wrapped her hand around him, copying the movements he was making a few minutes before. He sighed and shut his eyes.

"Sandra, God sweetheart, you're driving me mad." He whispered.

"Make love to me then." She replied. She pushed him back into the shower and joined him under the cascade, she gasped as he backed her up against the shower wall, the coolness of the tiles surprising her. He lifted her legs, and she wrapped them around his body. He was supporting her weight with the help of the wall. "God Robert, I need you in me now!" She gasped. He guided himself to her opening and pushed into her in one fluid, forcefull motion. He held himself still. She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered into his ear. "Don't hold back, I need to feel you."

He started to move, keeping his thrusts steady, pulling out almost all the way before sheathing himself into her completely, the head of his cock hitting her sweet spot again and again. Their eyes locked together, blue on blue. He picked up the pace, watching as her eyes darkened.

"Rob, God, I love you sooo muuuuuch." Sandra gasped as she climaxed. "Robert!"

"The sound of his name rolling off her tongue, and the feel of her orgasm clamping down on him drove him over the edge and he came hard, filling her. He pulled out of her, lowering them both to the floor of the shower. He sat with his back against the tiles, Sandra cradled against him. She found his lips with hers and kissed him, pouring all of her love into the contact.

Eventually they pulled their lips apart, Robert held Sandra against his chest. They sat in silence, comfortable in each others company until a shiver brought Sandra back to reality.

"Rob, why are we sitting under a cold shower?" She smiled. He grinned back and kissed her lightly.

"Well, I was trying to deal with my 'little problem' without waking you."

"Don't sell yourself short. There is nothing little about it."

Rob laughed and helped Sandra stand, he shut off the water and grabbed a towel from the rail. He wrapped it around her before grabbing one for himself. They left the bathroom, gathering the discarded swiming suits and putting them to dry.

They were soon dressed, and Sandra found herself sat on the white sofa, watching as Rob opened a bottle of wine in the kitchen. She watched as he bustled about, trying to find a corkscrew. Her mind wandered back to their meeting on the beach yesterday, the moment when she realised who it was she had been eyeing up. She felt a moment of shame as she realised that had she known who it was before she had walked along the beach, she'd have probably avoided him.

In the years they had worked together, she had never taken the time to get to know him, he'd always just been the annoyance from upstairs. She realised now how much of that politically minded beaurocrat persona was a mask, a mask which he used to hide the gentle, caring man who she had come to love over the last twenty four hours. She also realised how much pain he had been hiding. The look of despair in his eyes as he had told her about his children had brought her to tears, they hadn't even known he had children until that day at the circus, and by that time he had already lost them. She remembered the rush of anger as she had watched him and the Berlin bitch kiss after the bust up at the big top. At the time she had thought she was angry at him for getting them involved in a personal problem, but now she wondered if it hadn't been a little bit of jealousy. Then there was the moment in the cow's office when she admitted to only sleeping with Rob to get him to look at her case. It had taken all of Sandra's will power to keep herself from punching the bitch. The casual way she had confessed to using Rob had filled her with fury. And she remembered the look on his face in the hospital, when Christy had sent him on his way, having got what she needed from him. It was the look of a man who had known all along that he was nothing more than a toy, that he had been used, then thrown away.

Yet she had let him walk away. She had been in the position to be a friend to him, she could have taken him for a drink, or just told him he wasn't alone, yet she had watched from the other side of the car park as he had sat in his car and wept. And she had just watched as he drove away.

She felt the tears on her cheeks as she watched him pour the wine and carry the glasses to where she was sitting. He saw the tears and put the glassed on the side table, sitting next to her he wrapped his arms around her and held her.

"Hey, shhhhh. It's alright. Brian phoned back while you were asleep, he wanted you to know he was sorry. Everything will be fine sweetheart, I promise." He felt her shake her head.

"It's not that." Her voice was shakey, "Though I am glad he called back."

"What is it then?"

"Oh Robert, I'm so sorry. I let you drive away alone." He looked confused for a moment. "I watched as Christy dumped you, then I just stood by and let you drive away. I can't imagine how lonely you must have felt." She watched as the emotions flittered across his features, the need to be honest with her conflicting with the need to protect her. She brushed her fingers across his cheek. "Please, I don't need you to spare my feelings. I stood by and watched you cry when I could have been a friend." He took a long drink of his wine and sat forward on the edge of the sofa, his elbows resting on his knees. He looked down at the floor.

"I knew she was using me. But for a very short time I could pretend that somebody actually cared. It still hit me when she turned me away though. I suppose a little bit of me had hoped she might come to like me."

"But if you knew she was using you..."

"Why let her?" He smiled ruefully. She nodded. "Because there was no-one else. I was tired of being on my own, my marriage may not have been a bed of roses, but after... Going back to an empty, silent house every night...She gave me a reason to leave work before midnight." He downed the rest of the glass of wine. "You must think I'm pathetic." She leaned across and rubbed his back softly, trying to convey some comfort through the contact.

"No, I don't. I think you're a man who is used to hiding himself. I think I'm only just beginning to realise how badly we have let you down." She put her fingers on his lips to stop him from interupting. "Your marriage broke up and you lost your children, all right in front of us, yet we did nothing. I saw Christy for what she was, she even told me she was using you, yet I did nothing. I let you drive away."

"Sandra, I'm alright. I've been taking care of myself since I was a child. And I don't blame you, not for one moment."

"Tell me." She ran her hand through the hair at the nape of his neck. He looked confused for a moment. "Tell me about yourself. Let me see you."

"There's not much to tell. To be honest, much of my history is fairly miserable. I'd rather look forward than back." He took hold of her hand and kissed it. "Especially when the future is looking so good." She stroked the hair back from his face.

"Alright, I'll let you off for now. But will you tell me later?" He nodded.

"Why don't we get something to eat first." He kissed her gently, "And I want you to remember something."

"What's that?"

"Something a friend once told me. Yesterday is history, tomorrow's a mystery, everyday is a gift, that's why it's called the present."

/

Author's note: This was a strange place to end the chapter, but I really wanted to post tonight. xxx.


	4. Chapter 4

A Taste of Paradise

Disclaimer: Anything you recognise belongs to the BBC, it's not fair! I love them more than they do! They'd have a much happier life with me!

/

It was starting to get dark before Sandra and Robert got back to the apartment. They had decided to walk back along the beach, and had been treated to another tropical sunset as a reward.

As they walked along the surf, Sandra felt a serenity wash over her, her hand was linked with his, the sea washed over their bare feet as they strolled along the soft white sand, and the moment was perfect.

The only thing which was slightly disturbing her picture postcard moment was the presence of the two body guards. Sandra had to give them credit, they were very good at staying out of the way, in fact if she hadn't been a police officer herself, aware of the techniques of shadowing a suspect, she probably wouldn't have noticed them at all, but she knew they were there, and it was a constant reminder of the shadow lurking in the background.

When Rob had told her what the Brian had found out about Miquelle, she hadn't been one hundred percent surprised, he had set her nerves on edge, and all of her experience had told her that he was what Gerry would call a 'wrong un'.

"Penny for them." The man strolling beside her interupted her thoughts. She gave his hand a squeeze.

"Just thinking, I know they have to shadow us, what with the mediteranian Norman Bates out there, but I wish it was just the two of us."

"I know what you mean. When we were at the lagoon earlier, I felt like we had our parents watching us or something. I kept on expecting your Mother to come and tap me on the shoulder and tell me to 'unhand her daughter'."

"My Mother would probably say 'What took you so long', she would be more concerned with getting me married off than protecting my virtue." She smiled, "This lot seem pretty broad minded though, I don't think anything we did would have fazed them." He laughed.

"We were quite restrained I thought."

"We were. When we lose the shadows, do you know what I want to do?" She grinned mischieviously at him. They had reached the steps up to their apartment. He stopped and turned her to face him, he ran his hands through her hair which was shining like molten silver in the moonlight. She looped her arms around his back.

"Tell me."

"I want you to make love to me here, on the beach, I want that to be one of the memories we make which will last a lifetime."

"I think I could manage that." He captured her lips in a searing kiss, she responded, returning the kiss with equal force. They were happily getting lost in each other when the not-so-subtle clearing of a throat interupted them. They broke apart, Sandra rested her forehead on his chest for a few seconds, trying to control the urge to laugh. Robert turned his face to acknowledge the unfortunate interloper.

"Captain Thomas, It's good to see you again." He smiled at the man. Captain Thomas grinned, before letting out a laugh.

"Your manners are excellent Sir, my Mother, God rest her soul would have approved. I apologise for interrupting you. I was going to wait a little longer, but it didn't seem as though you had any plans to stop any time soon." Rob flushed scarlet and Sandra laughed. "Still, it is good to see you having a good time. I wanted to come and tell you that the Portugese police are on their way to the island to take Miquelle back to face the charges he ran from back in his homeland. They have also charged his Father for helping him to evade capture, it is now clear that he knew all along where his son was and has been actively helping him. Thank you for your help, your people back in England did a fine job, and we are only too happy to hand him back to his own police force. We have officers at Miquelle's flat and workplace, as soon as he is in custody, I will bring in the officers watching you, and you will be able to enjoy the rest of your holiday in peace."

"We are just glad we were able to help." Robert told him. The man took out a notebook.

"If it is alright, do you think I could have some contact details for you both, and some details of those who helped back in England. I have dealt with the De Martinez lawyers before, I do not want to leave anything to chance."

"Of course." Rob replied. Sandra shivered, the breeze coming in off the ocean had turned a bit chilly, and her spaghetti strap top wasn't doing a very good job of keeping her warm.

"If you don't need me, I'll go on up." She told the men, Rob had felt her shiver and nodded, fishing the apartment key out of his pocket. He handed it to her.

"I won't be long. Will you be alright?" He asked. A cold feeling had invaded his stomach, since De Martinez had shown interest in her, Robert hadn't let Sandra out of his sight unless they were safely locked inside the apartment. Sandra could sense his unease, she smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

"I'm only going to be twenty feet away." She turned and trotted up the steps, pausing to unlock the patio door, she slid it open and entered, she pushed it closed again to keep the chill out.

The air conditioning in the apartment had kept the temperature steady, so where as during the day it was beautifully cool, on chillier evenings like this, is was now lovely and warm compared to outside. She went into the kitchen and got a couple of glasses ready and retrieved the bottle of wine from the fridge, she filling the glasses when she heard Rob slide the door open.

"That was quick." She called. Then she tensed as there was no answer. Her skin chilled as she heard breathing right behind her, and the touch of a hand on her shoulder. She had become used to the feel of Rob's hands, and she knew that the hand currently caressing her shoulder blade wasn't his. She mentaly cursed her carelessness, she had left the door unlocked, knowing Rob was only on the beach and would be following her up, but she hadn't thought to check the balcony, the creep must have beeen hiding out by the hot tub. She steeled herself, her instinct was to try to get away, but her police training kicked in and made her think the situation through. She knew Rob was just outside with the captain and the two other officers. All she had to do was stall Miquelle until Rob joined her.

"My English rose, why did you betray me? Why did you leave me for this toto." Sandra had no idea what a toto was, but she was fairly sure it wasn't anything good. She took a breath.

"I've known Rob for years. I never betrayed you."

"Then why did you promise yourself to me. You teased me with your golden hair and ocean blue eyes." He ran a strand of her hair through his fingers, she shivered at his touch, her blood running cold.

"I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression." She knew she had to keep him talking.

"But why set the dogs on me? They do not realise that I am driven by love." He brought his other hand up to her other shoulder, he started to push the spaghetti straps down over her arms. Sandra couldn't help herself, she took a step away. He grabbed her arms forcefully, her instinct kicked in and she threw her elbow back, catching him on the bridge of the nose, he gasped in pain, letting go of her momentarily, she turned and sprinted past him heading for the door, he roared in anger and turned with her, not more than a step behind. She knew she had to get to the door, to alert Rob. She felt his hand on the back of her neck, then suddenly, an arm shot out from in front of her, palm out flat it caught the man chasing her square on the chin, knocking him backwards. Sandra ran straight into the arms of her lover. She clung to him, shaking. He whispered in her ear as he held her, trying to sooth her.

"Shhhh. It's ok sweetheart. You're safe." He felt her nod against his shoulder. Rob was watching the prone man over her shoulder, he noticed the figure was starting to regain his senses.

"Sandra, go and get Captain Thomas, he's still on the beach with his men." She saw what Rob was looking at.

"Rob, please, I know what you want to do right now, but please, don't do anything that will get you in trouble. Let the law deal with him."

"She does not want me hurt amigo, she loves me. We have been lover's for weeks." The portugese man crooned as he sat up. His face bloody, but the smirk infuriated Sandra.

"On second thoughts..." She pulled the can out of her bag and released a good dose of pepper spray straight into Miquelles face. The prone man squealed and rolled over, covering his face with his hands. Rob raised his eyebrows at Sandra, she just shrugged.

"Good God, I love you." He told her, his voice low, she smiled.

"I'll go and fetch the Captain. Won't be a moment." She brushed her lips against his cheeks and went to the door. Robert looked down at the pathetic figure on the floor. Miquelle was curled up in a foetal position, sobbing like a baby. He reached out a hand to Rob.

"Senior, please, water for my eyes." He begged. Rob took a step towards him, 'accidently' putting his shoe on the man's hand. He leaned forward, putting all of his weight down on the fingers of the hand which has been clamped onto his beloved's neck.

"Be glad the police are close by, and that it's not just the two of us." He hissed, then stood back as Captain Thomas entered with the two other officers. They hauled Miquelle to his feet and handcuffed him before dragging him off to the station. Captain Thomas watched the sobbing figure as he was dragged to the waiting car.

"He seems a little worse for wear. I expect he resisted arrest. Ah well." He bid them both a goodnight after asking them to drop by the next day to give statements. Sandra picked up her wine and took a drink. She felt Rob move in close behind her.

"Sandra? Sweetheart? Are you alright?" His voice was shakey with concern. She turned to face him.

"I'm fine." She smiled. He looked down at the floor.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered, she frowned.

"What for?"

"I promised I'd never let him get to you. And I promised the team he wouldn't get past me. Bloody lot of good I was." She saw a dark look in his eyes which she had only seen once or twice before, when he was at his most emotional. She reached for his hands.

"Rob, don't you even think of blaming yourself. I was careless, I left the door unlocked. I let my guard down. But even as he stood behind me, I knew you were only a few feet away, all I had to do was keep him busy. And I was right, when I needed you, you were there. Anyway, I think facing him down was good for me, it was empowering." She leaned in and teased his lips with her own. "Using that pepper spray felt good too." He returned the kiss, pouring his fears into the moment.

"Tell me what you want." He whispered. She smiled against his lips.

"I want to go to bed." She stated, a hungry look in her eyes. He smiled softly.

"Your wish is my command, my lady." He offered her his hand which she accepted with a small curtsey. He lead her upstairs to the bedroom, where he turned to her, brushing the hair away from her face. "God you are so beautiful." He whispered, "I must be the luckiest man alive. I keep on expecting to wake up and find this has all been a dream, and that I'm still alone in a cold bed in London."

"I'm here, and I'm real." She sighed. He ran his hands down her sides and around her back, pulling her gently against his body, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, molding her body against his. He pressed his lips against hers, pouring his soul into the most intense kiss she had experienced to date. She could feel the emotions rolling off him, the love washing over her. She felt as though she was drowning, but she had no intention of fighting the sensation, she gave herself to him, pouring all of her love back at him.

She reached between their bodies, their lips still locked together, she started to unbutton his shirt, needing to feel his skin against her hands, once all the buttons were undone, she pushed the cotton garment off his shoulders, he dropped his hands long enough to let it slide off onto the floor before wrapping his arms back around her. Sandra ran her hands across his chest and back around his shoulders, massaging the smooth skin with her fingertips. He broke the kiss and drew back, his eyes feasting over her. He slipped his hands under the hem of her top, brushing his fingers along her ribs, he peeled the top off over her head, where it joined his shirt on the floor. He ran his hands across her breasts, teasing her through her bra before reaching around her back and unfastening her skirt, which slid to the floor, making the pile of discarded clothing grow.

Rob gently guided Sandra to the bed, she had slipped out of her sandles and now stood in just her cream coloured bra and briefs. He watched, his eyes hungry as she pushed the covers to the bottom of the bed and lay down, she smiled as he approached.

"You're wearing too much." She pointed out. He raised his eyebrows. He had already removed his shoes and his shirt was in an untidy pile at his feet.

"I'm only wearing shorts." He replied. She smirked.

"Exactly!" He smiled and made display of unfastening his belt, before he slid it from the loops and threw it on the floor with the rest. He undid the button and slowly lowered the zipper. Sandra bit her bottom lip, the slow teasing strip driving her crazy. Eventually he pushed his shorts down past his hips and let them fall to the floor, he kicked them away and stood in front of her, in all his glory.

"Better?" He questioned. She nodded, and patted the bed next to her. "Now who's overdressed?" He smirked.

"Then come over here and do something about it." She teased. He didn't need any encouraging, he crawled onto the bed next to her, brushing featherlight kisses across her stomach and up to her breasts. He reached behind her as she arched up off the bed and deftly unfastened her bra. He slid it away and tossed it to the floor before bracing his hands either side of her and leaning down capturing her lips with a kiss which stole any reason from her. He kissed his way down her neck and shoulders before he brushed his lips across one of her nipples with the lightest of touches before using his tongue to tease it to diamond hardness. He swapped sides and treated her other nipple to the same, making her gasp and arch her back. He continued to tease her for several minutes before he kissed his way down her flat stomach until he met the barrier of her briefs. He knelt beside her and slipped his hands either side if her hips, sliding her last vesige of clothing down her legs and off, completing the collection on the floor. He kissed her hip and ran his hand along the inside of her thigh.

"Oh God! Robert..." She arched up as he gently blew on her most private areas. He leaned in and kissed her mound. He parted her legs slightly, and brushed her with his hand before sliding his middle finger inside her. He watched as she started to writhe against him, her need driving her beyond reason. He worked his digit in and out before adding another, pushing her to the brink. Just as she thought it couldn't get any more intense, she felt his talented mouth on her folds. She fisted her hands into the bedsheets as she felt his tongue on her sweet spot, his fingers working her to a frenzy, until she couldn't hold on any longer and let out a scream, his name echoing around the apartment as her climax exploded inside her, sending her to the brink of oblivion.

As she came back to her senses, she looked at her lover, he was sitting on his knees between her legs, his hands caressing her thighs. His eyes were almost black with desire, and his erection stood so proud, Sandra couldn't help but think it must be painful.

"God, you are gorgeous when you come." He murmured, almost too quiet to hear. "And I will never tire of hearing you scream my name."

"Come here. I want you inside me."

"Let me get..."

"No, forget the condoms, I want you. I want to feel you." She ran her hands through his hair as he braced himself above her, taking all his weight on his arms. He leaned down and kissed her as he positioned himself.

"Are you sure? We've already taken plenty of risks." He looked at her with such love she felt tears in her eyes, she nodded.

"As I said, I'm in the safe part of my cycle. I should be safe until the end of the week, but just this one night, then we'll start taking precautions. Tonight I need to feel you." She kissed him back, he nodded and guided himself into her pushing forward he sheathed himself into her with a sigh.

"I love you." He whispered as he started to move, keeping his thrusts slow and steady, trying to make the moment last as long as possible. She closed her eyes, the emotions rolling off her lover overwhelming her.

"Oh Rob... YES!" She gripped his shoulders as another climax overtook her. He picked up the pace, burying himself as deep as he could inside her, over and over until he couldn't hold back any longer and with a last hard thrust, he came hard, filling her as she climaxed for a third time.

She held him close as he rolled to the side, taking her with him so he wouldn't crush her. He kissed her lips tenderly, whispering her name over and over. She reached down and pulled the bed covers over their rapidly cooling bodies. She snuggled back down against his chest, listening to his heart as it slowed back to it's normal pace, she could feel her heart beating in time as she drifted into a content sleep.

/

Sandra woke with the first sound of the birds, signalling the first rays of daylight. She sighed as she reached over and looked at her watch, it was only just past four in the morning, she snuggled back down, into the warm body spooned behind her. Robert gently kissed the back of her neck, surprising her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." She whispered, she felt him smile against her neck.

"You didn't, the bloody dawn chorus took care of that." He felt her shift and eased onto his back as she rolled to face him. "What is the time anyway?"

"It's no-where near time to get up." She answered, resting her head on his shoulder. "But I don't think I could go back to sleep." He kissed the top of her head.

"Me neither."

"Talk to me. I hardley know anything about you, if you feel uncomfortable, I'll start." She felt him nod. She brushed her hand through his chest hair. "Ok, let's see. You know about my father, how he died and why. But before that, growing up, he was the best Dad there was. He always had time for me, he'd take me to horse riding lessons on a Saturday morning, and we'd always stop for a cake and lemonade on the way home. He was so strong, I felt so safe when he was around."

"What about your mother?"

"I feel guilty now. I realise looking back that Dad never did any telling off, it was always left to her to make and enforce the rules. When he died, I felt so alone and abandoned. I took it out on Mum because... well, I suppose it was because she wasn't him. I remember lying in bed and saying a prayer, asking God why he had taken Dad and not her. I feel so bad now, I was such a spoiled little bitch."

"No, you were a child, mourning the loss of someone you idolised. When we are children, the death of someone we love is much more difficult to comprehend, it feels as though you've been abandoned in some way. That person which you look up to and depend on, is suddenly gone. It's a terrifying time for someone so young."

"You sound as though you have experience." She obvserved, she sat up slightly, leaning on her elbow, she looked down at his face, giving him an encouraging smile. He sighed.

"My mother died when I was four. I don't really remember her much. My Grandfather took me in, he died two years later. It felt like my whole world had collapsed when he died."

"What about your Father?" She saw his eyes darken.

"He's still alive." He almost growled. Sandra could see anger and hatred burning in his eyes, she caressed his cheek.

"I'm sorry, I don't wan't to pry..." She started, he put a finger against her lips.

"No, it's alright. You need to know. It's just, the only person I've ever told in the past was Kaye, and she tended to use my past as a weapon against me, to hurt me. I know you never would, but..."

"I never would. Trust me."

"I do." He paused. "My father... well...he never really forgave me for being born." He stuttered, she frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"My mother got ill while she was pregnant with me. She refused the treatment because the drugs involved would have harmed me. She never really recovered properly. Father blamed me. When she died, he sent me off to live with my Grandfather because he told me he didn't want a constant reminder of how I'd killed her."

"That's horrible! How could he say something like that to a little boy?"

"Grandfather agreed with you. The two years I spent with him was the best time of my life."

"But then he died. What happened then?"

"I was sent back to my father. I was a pretty sickly child, weak lungs. My father had a friend who had been through medical school, father got him a job in the village as GP. He told my Father that my condition wasn't medical, but psychological, he insisted that my father had to 'snap me out of it'. He didn't need any encouraging. He was brutal."

"Nobody helped you?"

"My father is a lord, nobody questioned him. I doubt anybody even new. If they did they never said anything. My older brother never said anything." He sat up and swung his legs out of bed. His head hung in utter defeat. Sandra moved behind him, hugging him from behind.

"What did you do?"

"I survived. I kept my mouth shut, got on in school, and as soon as I turned eighteen, I changed my name and joined the army. One of the instructors noticed me and suggested I go through university and get a degree and go to Sandhurst, he said I was officer material. He got me sponsored, and I think you know what happened from there." He turned and kissed her softly. "I never went back. I have only seen my brother a handful of times since."

"And your Dad?"

"As far as I'm concerned, he doesn't exist. He made his choices."

She held him tightly, he turned in her arms and lay down again, pulling her close. "Kaye used to say I scared her, that I scared the children. I never layed one finger on any of them, I never even raised my voice at the children. She knew it hurt me, to be compared to him."

"As I said before, she's a bitch." He smiled warmly at her.

"Thank you. It actually feels good to tell somebody." He said. She snuggled against him. She smiled cheekily.

"So what is your name, you know I'm really Cassandra. Was it just your surname you changed?"

"Yes. I was always Robert." He paused, "Barset. I was born Robert Barset."

"Barset. Where have I heard that before?"

"Sir Thomas Barset owns most of Berkshire, and is one of the biggest contributors to the current commissioners charity works."

"Does he know you're a policeman?"

"I have no idea. And I'm fairly sure the Commissioner has no idea who I am. He'd make much more effort to suck up if he knew."

"That is true. So why 'Strickland'?" She reguarded him, lying next to her. He shrugged.

"It's a name from my Mother's side of the family, going way back. Sir Robert Strickland fought alongside King Richard III, Story goes, that although he was on the losing side, he fought with such courage and honour that Henry Tudor allowed him to retain his land and titles. He was a sort of family legend, Grandfather told me Robert was a family name, leading back to him, that I was named for him. I suppose I was trying to keep a part of my family identity, but subtly so that my Father couldn't find me." He watched as she reached out to him and brushed her fingers through his hair. She grinned suddenly.

"Bloody hell! I've just realised something. I've been deflowered by the son of the lord of the manor!" She grinned. "Mum's going to be over the moon." He laughed.

"Just don't tell the boy's. They'd have so much fun at my expense."

"They probably would take the piss." She thought for a moment. "It's about ten o/clock there. I should phone them and let them know that Miquelle is under lock and key, they're probably worried."

"They were." He handed her the phone. She got out of bed and looked for something to slip on. She spotted his shirt and pulled it on, doing up a few of the buttons, she turned and found him watching her. "That looks better on you than me." He said.

"It's not quite long enough." She told him.

"Exactly." He grinned. She grinned back.

"You stay exactly where you are. I'll be back soon." She went to leave the bedroom, he called after her.

"Will you be alright?"

"I will be as long as you're here when I get back." She assured him and went downstairs. She switched on the coffee machine, and dialled the office number. It rang a couple of times, as she waited, she weighed up who she hoped would answer. In the end she decided it really didn't matter.

"UCOS!" It was Gerry. She took a breath.

"Hi Gerry, It's me."

"Sandra! Are you alright? What the bloody hell are you doing up at this time? We were going to call you, but not until this afternoon."

"It's about four thirty. The dawn chorus woke me up. And I'm fine."

"Look. Brian has told us what's going on. I'm not saying I'm chuffed, but I'm not about to give you a hard time over the phone. But 'he' told us about this stalker you've got. Are you safe?" Sandra could hear the edge in Gerry's voice, there was no doubt who the 'he' he was refering to was. She tried to keep her voice as normal as possible.

"Miquelle De Martinez was arrested late yesterday evening. There was a hairy few minutes, but Rob knocked him out cold. He's in the local jail, and later he's being taken back to Portugal to face charges of rape and murder. We can enjoy the rest of the holiday in peace."

"Sandra..." She waited for him to continue. There was a pausein which she could almost hear the thoughts running through the other man's head, hear all the things he wanted to say. After a few moments he continued, "...Have a good time, see you when you get back." He finished warmly, obviously changing his mind over what he wanted to say. She smiled.

"Thank's Gerry. See you soon, bye." She hung up and smiled. She poured the coffees and returned to the bedroom. Rob was waiting.

"How did it go?" He asked concerned, she smiled warmly at him.

"Good, I think. Gerry answered, he told me he's not over the moon about us, but he didn't have a go or anything. I think they'll wait until we get back to start the inquisition." He took the coffee cups from her as she shuffled back into the bed along side him. He handed hers back before sitting back and sipping at the beverage.

"At least we can face them together." He told her, she nodded.

"What about the Commissioner? Will he make things difficult for you?"

"I don't know. But if he does, I can always drop the Barset connection on him. There has to be one advantage to being the son of that bastard, I may as well use it." She kissed him on the cheek.

"You'd do that for us? Give up your anonimity."

"I'd do anything for you." He whispered. She put her now empty cup down and snuggled against him. He got rid of his cup and pulled her close. "So, what shall we do today?"

"I need to go shopping. I promised the boys a present, besides that, now that I've done the mad stalker thing, my schedule is clear. We get to enjoy the rest of the week. But there is one thing."

"What?"

"It's still not five o/clock. But that coffee means I'm not going to be going back to sleep. Can you think of anything to fill the next couple of hours?" She asked innocently, her eyes twinkling with mischief. He smiled and let his hands wander.

"I may have a few ideas." He purred.

/

Enjoy the rest of the holiday they did. They had both managed to read a couple of books while enjoying the peace of the beach, enjoying the calm sea and warm sand. They had also explored the island, delighting in the tropical fauna and flora. The moments of peace and serenity were interspaced between hot tub sunsets and unforgettable nights of passion.

Friday had come around too soon. Sandra and Rob wandered along the sand, hand in hand. He was carrying a beach bag and had insisted on surprising her. They hadn't ventured this far along the beach yet, they had been walking for nearly an hour.

"Are we nearly there yet?" Sandra whined in a childish voice, making him laugh. He squeezed her hand.

"Just about. Look." He pointed to the edge of an outcropping of rocks ahead. A beach vendor waved at them cheerfully as they passed. Rob acknowledged him as they walked around the corner and Sandra let out a gasp. A tiny little cove greeted them, beautiful tropical flowers grew out of the sheer cliff face. The sea had eroded the base of the cliff, creating a little sheltered cave, looking out to the ocean.

"Oh, this is beautiful." She whispered. Rob led her to the mouth of the cave and laid out the beach towel on the soft sand. He pulled a bottle of wine and some glasses out of the bag, He dug a small pit in the sand and buried the bottle up to its neck, to keep it cool. Sandra untied the sarong she was wearing, leaving herself clad in only her bikini. Rob had removed his shirt and leaving him in his swim shorts. Sandra lay down on the towel and sighed. Rob settled next to her.

"Roll over." He told her, she complied and rolled onto her stomach, pillowing her head on her arms. Shefelt the trickle of oil onto her back and sighed again as he started to massage the oil into her back and shoulders.

"Mmmmm. That's wonderful." She murmured. Then she started slightly as she felt the strings on her bikini top come undone. "Rob?" She questioned. He whispered in her ear.

"I enqired about somewhere private, where we wouldn't be disturbed. This is one of the islands best kept secrets. The vendor out there, his name is Charles, and for the very reasonable sum of one hundred dollars, he will make sure we are left in peace. There is one thing we need to do before we leave. That little fantasy of yours, remember." He ran his hands down her back, smoothing the oil into her skin. "A memory to make." his hands drifted down to her bikini bottoms, where he undid the strings on either side, removing the last piece of material covering her. Sandra felt a little bit exposed, she had never really been one to flaunt her body, she had always dressed to be comfortable, she had certainly never been naked in public before. She tried to relax, his hands had drifted to her legs and he was now massaging the oil into her thighs. She felt the need to grab for a towel, and every little noise was making her jump.

"If you don't want to, that's fine. We can just drink the wine and relax." His soothing voice broke into the quiet.

"I'm ok." She managed to keep her voice sounding neutral. He chuckled.

"you're as jumpy as a squirrel. I want you to enjoy this. If you feel uncomfortable, I'll stop and we can do something else."

"It's just that, well, I've never been this naked on a public beach before." She confessed, "I know on this island, people seem to be completely unconcerned, I mean I've seen more naked bodies this last week, than I think I've seen in my life. But I've always been shy about my own body."

"I don't know why. You are perfect, absolutely stunning." He leaned across and kissed the back of her neck, before pulling a face. "That oil might smell nice, but it tastes disgusting!"

Sandra couldn't help it, she began to giggle, her body shaking as the laughter took over.

"Your not supposed to eat it." She managed to remind him inbetween the spasms of laughter. She turned her head. He had lay down beside her, and was watching her. "What?"

"You really are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. And I love you so much it hurts. I don't ever want to go back to the way things were. I will fight with everything I am to be with you." She reached over and caressed his face.

"When we get home, what are we going to do? I don't want to go back to living in my flat all by myself, I've got used to having you with me."

"Why don't I bring some of my things to your flat, you can bring some stuff to mine. We can live between the two. See how things go. Then we can figure out which place we like the best, or even get rid of both and get a place together." He suggested, she smiled.

"Since mine is closer to the station, we can live there during the week, then go to yours at the weekends. That way, we won't have to get up so early."

"I like that plan." He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers, she rolled onto her back and looped her hands around his shoulders and deepened the kiss. She ran her hands down his back to the waistband of his shorts and started to push them down over his hips. He drew away slightly and smiled, she grinned back.

"If I'm going to be naked, so are you."

"I suppose that's fair." He agreed. He stood and untied the drawstring, before slipping them down and kicking them towards the bag. Sandra couldn't help but sigh at the sight of him, he really was incredible. He lay back down next to her, brushing his hand across her breast.

"Is that better?"

"Much." She ran her hand along his length, making him gasp. His eyes darkened as he got harder, her hand teasing him to readiness. He leaned across her and took one of her breasts into his mouth, his tongue playing with her nipple. He swapped to the other breast, giving it the same attention as she stroked and tugged at him, until she couldn't wait any longer. She gently pushed him onto his back and sat astride him reaching into the bag. She rummaged for a second or two, until she found the little box she was looking for. She took a liitle foil square out of the box and tore it open, watching his face the whole time. He massaged and kneeded her breasts as she slipped the condom over his manhood and slowly rolled it down his hardness. He bit his bottom lip as her finger nails grazed through the fine hairs at the base and across his balls. She watched his eyes as she lifted herself up and guided herself down onto him, taking him into herself completely. She tipped her head back and looked up to the sky as the sensation of being completely filled almost sent her over the edge.

"Jesus, you are incredible." He whispered, as she looked back at him and started to move. She pulled herself almost entirely off him before sheathing him again, and again, at the same time, moving her hips in a circular motion, driving him to distraction. He gripped her thighs, using them as leverage to start to thrust upwards, driving into her as far and as fast as he could.

"Oh God! Oh yes!" Sandra cried as she felt her orgasm building, she cried out as she felt the explosion inside her, falling forward, Robert held her close, waiting for her to regain her senses, he turned them both over, still joined, kissing her tenderly. She smiled at him lovingly, he started to move again gently thrusting in and out.

"Rob, don't hold back."

"I want to make this last as long as possible." He whispered. He pushed up onto his knees, hooking her long, beautiful legs over his thighs, he braced himself over her, pulling almost all the way out, before burying himself again. She arched her back up at the sudden rush of ecstacy, fisting her hands into the towel.

"Yes!" She cried out, "Harder!" He continued to move like this, driving her to the edge of reason until he felt her go over the edge again, he sped up his thrusts, feeling his own climax building until, with one last, hard thrust he came, he let out a shout as he released, his body shuddering, he tried to brace himself on his arms, afraid of crushing her. She held him tightly, her own body still vibrating from the sensations of a moment before. He pushed himself up onto his knees, removing the condom, and settled himself alongside her. He was still breathing hard, and his face was flushed. She ran her fingers along his jawline.

"That was incredible. I don't think this moment could be any more perfect." She had never felt this complete, so utterly content with life, she knew that no matter what the real world threw a them, this man was her future. He brushed the hair away from her face, smiling nervously. He knelt up, retrieving the sarong and covered her lightly with it before reaching into the bag and rumaging around, he finaly found what he was looking for. She sat up, watching him, intreagued as he turned back to her holding a little velvet pouch. He chewed his lip in a nervous manner, she could see he was deciding whether to continue, she gave him an encouraging smile.

He undid the pouch and tipped the contents into the palm of his hand. She gasped as she recognised it. It was a simple silver band, with a single stone setting, the stone was a pure blue moonstone. She had been admiring it a few days before in the window of a jewellers in town.

"I saw you looking at it through the window." He told her.

"When I saw it, it reminded me of this place. The silver and blue, just like the sea and sand." She looked up as he lifted her hand and slid the ring onto it.

"It reminded me of your eyes." She moved her hand, causing the ring on her finger to twinkle as the sunlight caught it.

"It cost a fortune." She pointed out. He shrugged.

"You're worth every penny." He reached up and cupped her jaw, brushing his thumb lightly across her cheek. "Over the next few weeks, we're going to have some battles to fight, not just the team, they'll come round. And I can handle the bosses, but there will be the gossips, the sly nudges, sudden silences. These I can do nothing about. It won't be so bad for me, my rank will offer me some protection, but I am concerned for you."

"Don't worry, I can take care of myself."

"But that's my point. Now you don't have to. You're not alone any more, you don't have to cope alone. And any time they start to get to you, I wan't you to look at that ring and remember this place, and remember you have a white knight to do your fighting now." He smiled. "I'm not asking you to hide behind me, I know you are too strong and self sufficient for that. I'm asking you to let me stand beside you." He brushed his lips across her's, she smiled against his mouth.

"I'll try. I've looked after myself for so long I'm not going to promise it'll come easily to me, but I'll come to you if I'm troubled."

"That's all I ask."

"That's all?"

"There is one other thing." He said cryptically, she frowned.

"Okay?" She questioned. He looked down at the ring.

"The only other thing I will ever ask of you, is that you remember that those times at work, if I'm being a complete bastard, or I seem to be playing politics. It's because I have to, not because I want to. I have always been in your corner, even when it seemed otherwise. In the past I've had to tread something of a tight rope, and I can only see that rope getting tighter..." He seemed to run out of steam, Sandra nodded re-assuringly.

"I know. I'm not going to promise we'll never argue. We both know that neither of us back down from a fight. But I now know the real you, and I'll never doubt your motives again. I love you Robert."

"I love you Sandra Pullman." They're lips collided and they lay back down in the sand, pouring all the love and emotion they could muster into the forming of new memories, tasting paradise all over again.

/

Author's note; There will be an epilogue. Hopefully within the next few days. S


	5. Chapter 5

A Taste of Paradise

Disclaimer: New Tricks belongs to the BBC, but now that they've put it back in the cupboard, I'm going to play with it for a bit.

Author's note: Thank you for all the lovely reviews, they really do mean a lot and they keep me writing. I'm so sorry I havn't updated for a while. I've come to the conclusion that work can seriously get in the way of enjoying yourself! =( So many story ideas, so little time!

/

Sandra looked up at the clock on her office wall. It was still only eight o/clock in the morning, but she had already waded through half of the mountain of papers which had built up over her week off. She now understood Robert's desire to get here early, if she had this much backlog from one unit after only one week, lord knows how much he would have on his desk from the numerous departments he had to supervise, and he would have two weeks worth. Sandra had a vision of Rob leaning against his office door, trying to open it against the mountain of paperwork filling the room. She picked up her phone and dialled his number, it had only rung a couple of times before he answered.

"Hi. Missing me already?" He sounded in good humour, 'the pile of paperwork couldn't have been too big' she thought.

"I always miss you when we're apart." She replied. She heard him chuckle.

"It's a good job I'm only just outside your office door then." He laughed, Sandra smiled as she heard the glass outer door open and shut. She hung up and watched as his face appeared around her door. "Good grief! Has someone gone beserk with the photocopier?" He looked at the pile of paper in front of her. She gave him a wry smile.

"The price we pay for having a week off. At least I do. Don't you have a pile waiting for you?"

"I had half a dozen memo's, some expense requests and last weeks overtime sheets to sign off. All sorted."

"How come?" Sandra was surprised. He grinned.

"There is a sort of understanding between DAC's, when one of us is off, their paperwork gets deflected amongst the others, that way the backlog is taken care of, but because the work is dispersed amongst several, each of us only has to pick up a little bit extra work." He looked at her with a smile. "Is all that from one week?"

"Most of it is rubbish, but I have to wade through to make sure I don't miss something important."

"Do you want a hand for twenty minutes?" He seated himself opposite. Sandra smiled and nodded.

"How come you wanted to get here so early then?" She asked, passing him a handful of papers to go through.

"Seven thirty isn't really that early for me. I never had anything to stay in bed for before." He grinned, making her blush slightly, she smiled back.

"This morning?" She asked. His smile faded, he almost looked nervous.

"I want to see the Commissioner before the morning meetings start. I've already called his office, I'm due up there at eight thirty." He put the papers down and moved around the desk, perching on the edge, he took hold of one of her hands. "I want to tell him myself, on my terms. I don't want to get called in because he's heard some gossip about us."

"I understand." She told him, squeezing his hand. She paused for a moment. "Robert, what do you think he will do?"

"I think he'll give me a ten minute lecture on appropriate behaviour for a senior officer before telling me he'll have to think the situation over. He likes to make people sweat. The worst that can happen is that he'll tell me I can't be your boss anymore."

"What if he does?"

"I'll throw in the Barset connection, if that doesn't work, I'll just have to transfer UCOS from under my supervision. Don't worry, if it comes to that, I won't leave this department under the control of a complete bastard. But I refuse to sacrifice my personal life for the job. I've been down that path once, I won't make the same mistake twice." He leaned in giving her a brief kiss. "Now, do you want a hand with all this, or shall I make you a coffee?" She smiled against his lips.

"Coffee please." She grinned, stealing another kiss. He retreated to the outer office, she heard the sound of the kettle being filled and switched on and the clinking of the mugs being put out. She hoped the Commissioner gave them a chance, they had a good working relationship, and she knew it would be better now, their new understanding of each other re-enforcing what had existed before. He came back, carrying two steaming mugs.

"I put the other cups ready for the boys when they get in." He told her, putting her mug down in front of her and perching back on the edge of the desk. "What?" He caught her smile.

"I love you." She told him. Those simple three words filled is chest with warmth, he leaned in and cupped her cheek, caressing her face with his thumb. He leaned in and gave her a searing kiss which she returned with equal relish. Finally he pulled away, licking his lips.

"I should get going. Don't want to keep him waiting."

"Will you call me, let me know how it went?"

"I was going to come back down. But will it be better if I stay out of the way?"

"Call me. Let me spend a few hours with the boys. Let them get it all out of their systems. If it's all ok, I'll let you know." She gave him a brief re-assuring kiss. "I'll be fine."

"So long as you are sure. I'd rather they shout at me than you."

"They won't shout at me." She stood with him, straightening his tie and smoothing down his lapels. She rubbed her thumb across the corner of his mouth, smiling. "Probably not a good idea to state your case with lipstick on your face."

"That wouldn't help. No. I'd better get a move on. See you later?"

"Absolutely. Call me!" She insisted as he left the room.

She sat sipping her coffee, her mind drifting back, over the week away, and the weekend they had just spent mostly at his place.

Rob's flight had left an hour after Sandra's, they had tried to get onto the same plane, but they were both full, so Rob had suggested they go home to freshen up before meeting up again later. Sandra had only been at her flat for an hour before she had decided that it wasn't a home, it was the place she slept and kept her stuff. There were no momentos, no personal knick knacks, no pictures of family or friends. Yes it was a comfortable place, but she had no attachment to it all. She had gathered as much stuff as she could fit into three bin bags and had found herself sitting in her car in his driveway, waiting for him to get home. He had been surprised when he pulled up, seeing her waiting for him.

_Flashback._

_"Everything alright?" He asked, concerned. She wrapped her arms around his back, letting his warmth envelope her._

_"It is now. Rob, you know we spoke about living between our two places." She started. He nodded._

_"Yes. But if it's too soon..." He started, she shook her head._

_"No, It's not enough. My flat is a single person's flat, and I don't want to be there any more. I want to move in here with you...If that's alright." She finished, slightly uncertain. He smiled._

_"Of course it's alright. But you might not like my house."_

_"My flat is still painted in the same colour scheme it had when I bought it. I've never put any kind of personality on it. It's almost like a hotel room. Somewhere I exist."_

_"Then come in, see if my pad is up to scratch." He joked._

And it had been. She had fallen in love with the thirties style house with it's huge round bay windows, high ceilings and large rooms. There was a double garage and a good sized garden. Rob had it decorated in a modern, yet homely manner, with lots of light colours, and natural materials. Real wood floors and wood and leather furniture, contrasted with the modern appliances and slashes of bright colour throughout. The whole place oozed comfort and character. She had decided on the spot that this was a home, somewhere to live, not just somewhere to doss. She felt instantly at home and they had spent the rest of the Saturday and most of Sunday moving Sandra's personal belongings into the house. They had decided to leave most of the furniture in her old flat and Sandra was going to contact a letting agency with designs on renting it out.

Waking up on the Sunday morning in Rob's king sized bed, with the man she loved spooned up behind her, she had realised that this was what she had been waiting for. This was the reason her flat had never felt like home. She felt like she belonged, for the first time in her adult life she felt like she had come home. She had stayed as still as she could, relishing the feeling of having the one thing she had never thought she was missing, companionship. Rob had his arm around her, his hand on her stomach, she had reveled in his warmth, in the movement of his chest against her back as he breathed, the light tickle of his breath against her ear. She had wondered at how one week could have changed her life so completely, just nine days ago, if anybody had suggested this scenario to her, she'd have thought it more likely that she would have found herself teaching cooking at Hogwarts. Nine days, that was all it had taken. It didn't seem long enough, to change a life, but she had realised, lying there, that a part of her had always wanted this, since that moment when she had watched him kissing Christy Berlin at the circus, the rush of anger and jealousy she had felt at the sight of him holding that bitch, that should have been the start of it, but she had hidden her feelings, from him, from the team and most of all, from herself.

She had regretted then the wasted time, the years spent dancing around each other, all those lonely Friday nights spent in front of the television. She had realised that the holiday hadn't changed the way she had felt about him, she had always had feelings for him, the island had taken away all of the obstacles which had stopped them from taking the final step. On that island, he hadn't been the boss, she hadn't been the subordinate. He hadn't been the political tosser who agrivated the hell out of her, she hadn't been the hard as nails, career driven ice maiden. They had just been a man and woman, with several years of unresolved attraction which had been released that moment on the beach.

The sound of the outer door opening brought her back to the here and now, she glanced at the clock, it was just past eight thirty, Rob would be in with the Commissioner by now, she glanced towards the door, wondering who had arrived early. She took a breath and picked up her coffee, it was still warm so she took a sip and carried it with her into the outer office, pausing at her door and leaning against her door frame. She watched as Jack hung up his coat, oblivious to her presence. She suddenly realised that he was the only one she hadn't talked to over the last week, she became nervous, watching as he walked over and switched the kettle on. He paused as he noticed the cups set out ready and turned towards her office. She smiled shyly.

"Hi." She squeaked. There was a short but uncomfortable silence, until Jack broke it, pointing to the mugs.

"I see you got in early."

"That wasn't me, it was Rob." She confessed. Jack raised his eyebrows.

"Rob eh! That's going to take a bit of getting used to. He's already been down here then, or did you arrive together?" Jack couldn't keep the tone of dis-approval out of his voice. Sandra sighed.

"We came in together." She admitted. "Jack, I know this has all happened so suddenly, but I can't help how I feel..." She couldn't think of anything to say, Jack looked down at the floor for a moment before locking his piercing eyes on her.

"Just tell me one thing. Did you know he was going to be there? Promise me that you havn't kept this from us." Sandra stared at him, shocked.

"How could you think that? I had no idea he was going to be there, and before you ask, he had no idea either. We both picked up one of Carolines brochures. In fact, I realised not long ago that had I known he was the man lying in the shade of the palm, I would have probably avoided him, and that thought makes me sick to the stomach. The thought that I could have missed out on this because I never bothered to look beyond my own misconceptions of a man who I have worked next to for years, but never bothered to get to know. I love him Jack, I think I probably have for a while, and I won't give up what we have, not without a fight." Her voice was raw with emotion, Jack could hear anger, fear and determination mixed together, and her face showed her distress at his interrogation. He relented, giving her a brief smile.

"I hope he's worth it." He stated, she nodded.

"He is." She whispered, there was an assuredness in her tone which left him in no doubt that she was serious. He turned back to the boiling kettle and poured some into one of the cups. He made himself the drink and turned back to her.

"Ok. Can you think of one word to describe him?" He asked, she thought for a moment.

"There are lots, all the obvious ones. Caring, kind, funny..."

"I mean, what's the first word that pops into your mind when you think of him?" Jack interupted.

"Us." She replied. Jack smiled and nodded. Just then the door opened and Brian wheeled his bicycle through the door, bumping into just about everything as he went, the door had only just swung shut when it opened again, as Gerry entered.

"Thank's for holding the door 'mate'!" he grumbled, Brian grunted.

"Sorry, didn't realise you were behind me, you're not usually early." He countered. They both stopped as they realised they were not alone.

"Morning." Jack, greeted them, trying to prevent the uncomfortable silence from developing. "There are cups ready on the side, kettles only just boiled."

"Thanks." Gerry went to the side and busied himself making the drinks. Sandra watched as he took longer than usual squeezing out the tea bags, Brian was making a meal of hanging up his coat and cycle helmet, neither men would make eye contact with her, Jack stood watching, like a teacher presiding over class. Finally her patience snapped.

"I can't take this!" She put her cup down with a thud, making the now luke warm liquid splash over the table and turned and grabbed her bag from her office. She made her way to the door before Jack's voice stopped her.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"I don't know!" She almost shouted, "But I'm not going to wait around here though, with you lot treating me like I've commited some terrible crime. I've fallen madly in love with Rob Strickland. There! I've said it. We are a couple now, I moved in with him over the weekend, and we are planning on being very happy together, no matter what everybody else thinks. I was hoping that you lot at least would be in our corner, but I was obviously wrong." She was desperately trying to hold back the tears which were threatening to fall. Gerry was the first to move, he was beside her before she realised.

"Sandra, God, I'm sorry. Look, we've been having a chat about this, and we're alright with it, really. I mean, yeah it's gonna take a bit of getting used to, and I suppose we're gonna have to be nice to him now, but we're not gonna give you a hard time. We thought we'd wind you up a bit, that's all." He tried to explain. Brian stepped forward.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to upset you."

"But it was an opportunity we couldn't pass up." Jack grinned. Sandra jet out a breath she didn't realise she had been holding.

"You arseholes!" She grouched, shaking her head.

"We really didn't think you'd take it to heart like that." Brian apologised. We thought you'd maybe get angry at us."

"Or maybe frustrated, but we never meant to upset you." Gerry finished. Sandra shook her head.

"You caught me at a bad time. Robert's up with Commissioner Swann, I'm a bit on edge." She explained. Gerry looked concerned, he laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Is everything alright? Does he know?"

"He will by now. Rob wanted to talk to him before he heard about us through the gossip grapevine."

"Does he have any idea what the Commissioner might say?" Jack asked. Sandra shook her head.

"Rob thinks he'll make us sweat a bit, but as he told me earlier, the worst that can happen is that UCOS might be transfered to another DAC's supervision..."

"But..I don't want another DAC, I like the one we got!" Brian exclaimed. The other three in the room all looked at him like he'd grown another head.

"Since when? You lot have always treated him like he's the devil incarnate." Sandra exclaimed. Jack raised his eyebrow.

"Us lot?"

"Yes! I know I'm just as guilty. You think I havn't been beating myself up all week over that. I saw the same as you, until I saw him on that beach, for the first time I saw the real Rob Strickland, all the masks and pretense stripped away. And I liked what I saw." She sighed, "I know it's going to take a while for you to understand, but please believe me...the person he is here, when he's having to deal with politicians and press and the high and mighty's we have to keep sweet with, that person is an act, a mask he wears to protect himself." She paused, she didn't know how much to tell them, but she needed desperately for them to understand. "He's not as confident and self assured as everybody thinks, he didn't have an easy time growing up, and he certainly wasn't priviledged."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, the three men were all intreagued now. Sandra felt torn, she hated having to keep anything from her 'family', but at the same time, Rob was her lover, and he had shared the most painful parts of his life with her. She knew her team would never use the information against him, but it was a matter of trust. Brian saw her internal struggle.

"If you don't want to tell us, it's ok." He assured her.

"It's not that I don't want to, but it's not my story to tell. He's worked hard to bury his past. Let me ask him if it's alright to share it with you all first...Please." She implored them with her eyes. Gerry smled.

"That's fair enough I suppose. And I'm with Sparky over there, I don't want a different DAC, but if that's what it takes for you to be happy, then we'll support you... both of you." He gave her shoulders a squeeze, she leaned into him, looking at the soft expressions on the faces of the other two.

"Thanks guys." She whispered, her emotions almost overwhelming her. "You have no idea how much it means to me to hear that." She jumped slightly as her phone started to ring. She grabbed it and accepted the call. "Rob, how is it going?" She frowned, "Oh..Ok... No everythings fine, they had me going for a while though...Will you come down?...Ok, see you then... You too, bye." She hung up and stared at the phone for a moment, Gerry, Jack and Brain all looked at each other.

"That didn't sound good." Jack observed. Laying a comforting hand on her shoulder. She nodded softly.

"He's giving Rob a hard time. He's waiting while Swann makes some phone calls, then he's got to go back in." She thought for a moment, "Maybe I should go up there." She whispered. Jack shook his head.

"No, if he needed you up there, he'd have said. Let him handle this."

"But, it's not fair that he has to take all the shit, while I get to sit it out down here."

"He'll be fine. He can handle a tosser like Clive Swann." Gerry observed. "Let him do his thing. Come on, let's sort through all that crap on your table and get down to what we're really good at. The top brass won't be able to argue with results." He went over to his desk and showed her a file. "This got brought down while you were gone, we were going to run it past you when you got back. Wanna take a peek?" He teased, Sandra laughed.

"Go on then. You set it up while we clear my desk." She answered cheerfully, but she couldn't help but cast her eyes towards the doorway, her thoughts wandering towards her man upstairs.

/

Sandra hadn't heard anthing for several hours, she sat on the sofa in the UCOS office, nervously chewing her top lip, her thoughts a million miles away as she desperately hung onto the old saying, 'no news is good news'. she had received a text half way through the morning informing her that Commissioner Swann had dragged Robert into the morning meetings and still hadn't given his decision reguarding the relationship between two of his most senior officers, and that Rob would come down to the office as soon as he could get away. She had cleared the build up of paperwork from her desk, burying herself in work to take her mind off the the silence from her mobile, and she had given the go ahead on the case that the boys had shown her, they had started the preliminary work on it, covering the whiteboard with relevent information and reading through all the original statements and forensics.

She had been fine so long as she was busy, but now she found herself alone in the office and couldn't help but worry. Gerry had slipped out for a cigarette, Jack had gone to the canteen for some sugar, and Brian had nipped off to the loo, leaving the room silent, allowing the hollow feelings to invade the normally warm space. She was so lost in her thoughts she didn't hear the door open, it wasn't until she felt the warm, familiar hands on her shoulders that she realised she was no longer alone. The hands started to massage her neck and shoulders, making Sandra want to purr like a cat. She put her head back and smiled up at her lover.

"Hi." She smiled. He leaned forward and stole a kiss.

"Hi, how are you holding up?" He asked her, concerned. He had noticed the tension in her the moment he had walked through the door.

"Better now that you're here." She told him, she stood and faced him, allowing him to gather her into his arms, she needed to feel his warmth. "So...What's going to happen?"

"The old bastard dragged me to every meeting he had this morning, keeping me hanging on untill I finally lost my temper and told him he'd have my resignation on his desk before the end of the day..."

"Rob! No! There must be an alternative, you've worked so hard to get where you are..." Sandra interupted, horrified. Rob smiled and put a finger against her lips'

"Shhh. Let me finish sweetheart. I told him that as a Barset, I'd have no trouble finding another job. For a moment I was quite worried, I didn't know whether he was having a heart attack or was trying not to cry." He grinned at her, "We're fine, he soon changed his tune after that. Now it's just the gossip mongerers and shit stirrers we have to do combat with."

"I can cope with anything they throw at me." Sandra smiled, I'm just so glad this isn't going to affect your career. By the way, the boys were all quite dismayed when I warned them you may have to hand UCOS to another DAC. Though if you say anything, they'll probably deny it." Rob smiled, running his fingertips along the line of her jaw.

"I won't say a word." He smiled, she grinned back and pressed her mouth against his, he returned the kiss, losing himself in the beautiful woman in his arms.

Just outside the door, Jack watched through the glass, a soft smile on his face. He had no doubts now, he had been only a few paces behind Strickland as the younger man had entered the office. He had watched the exchange between the two, but most of all he had seen how the woman he thought of as a daughter had relaxed into the embrace of her lover. She had been at ease for the first time since he had laid eyes on her that morning. He heard the voices of his colleagues as they approached and he turned and shushed them, indecating towards the couple on the other side of the window. Brian smiled.

"They look good together, don't they." He whispered, Gerry nodded.

"A very handsome couple, as Mrs P put it."

"Should we nip off to the canteen for a bit, give them a bit of privacy." Brian inquired. Jack smiled.

"We could, or we could all burst in and shout surprise, see how high we can make them jump." The other two chuckled.

"That's just wicked, Jack. Bloody funny, but wicked." Gerry grinned.

"Let's give 'em ten minutes." Brian suggested. "If they havn't come up for air by then, we'll use Jack's plan." He turned and started back up the steps.

"Sounds good to me." Gerry agreed, turning from the door and following. Jack gave the couple one more glance before smiling, and set off after the other two men.

"C'mon, I'll buy you both a cocoa."

They left the couple in peace, wrapped up in their own little piece of paradise.

/

FIN.


End file.
